Hydrogenation of furfural with alkali-metal amalgams

The possibility of reducing furfural to furyl alcohol with potassium and sodium amalgams under the conditions of neutralizing the alkali formed with carbon dioxide has been investigated. The reduction of furfural can be directed to the predominant formation of furyl alcohol by regulating the rate of feed of furfural into the reaction vessel.     

Synthesis and structure analysis of cyclic furfural acetals

Quantum chemical calculations and the PMR method are used to show that the preferable conformation of cyclic furfural acetals is a chair with an axial orientation of the furyl substituent. In 2-(furyl-2′)-5-ethyl-5-oxymethyl-1,3-dioxane, the conformation equilibrium is shifted toward the transisomer with diaxial positions of the furyl and oxymethyl groups. The results of calculations suggest that the synthesis can lead to a cisisomer with an axial orientation of the furyl and equatorial oxymethyl groups. It was shown experimentally that the synthesis leads to a mixture of trans-and cis-isomers. Mild conditions (room temperature, aqueous medium) lead to formation of the transisomer and small amounts of the cisisomer (less than 2%). In rigid conditions (boiling in aromatic hydrocarbons), up to 20% of the cisisomer is formed. Translated fromZhurnal Struktumoi Khimii, Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 1083–1091, November–December, 1997.     

Addition/oxidative rearrangement of 3-furfurals and 3-furyl imines: new approaches to substituted furans and pyrroles

Furans and pyrroles are important synthons in chemical synthesis and are commonly found in natural products, pharmaceutical agents, and materials. Introduced herein are three methods to prepare 2-substituted 3-furfurals starting from 3-furfural, 3-bromofuran, and 3-vinylfurans. Addition of a variety of organolithium, Grignard, and organozinc reagents (M-R) to 3-furfural provides 3-furyl alcohols in high yields. Treatment of these intermediates with NBS initiates a novel oxidative rearrangement that results in the installation of the R group in the 2 position of the 2-substituted 3-furfurals. Likewise, metalation of 3-bromofuran with n-BuLi and addition to benzaldehyde provides a furyl alcohol that is converted to 2-phenyl 3-furfural upon oxidative rearrangement. Enantioenriched disubstituted furans can be prepared starting with the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation of 3-vinylfurans. The resulting enantioenriched diols undergo the oxidative rearrangement to furnish enantioenriched 2-substituted 3-furfurals with excellent transfer of asymmetry. This later method has been applied to the enantioselective preparation of an intermediate in Honda's synthesis of the natural product (-)-canadensolide. Mechanistic studies involving deuterium-labeled furyl alcohol suggest that the oxidative rearrangement proceeds through an unsaturated 1,4-dialdehyde intermediate. The alcohol then cyclizes onto an aldehyde, resulting in the elimination of water and rearomatization. On the basis of this proposed mechanism, we found that 3-furyl imines undergo the addition of organometallic reagents to provide furyl sulfonamides. Under the oxidative rearrangement conditions, 2-substituted 3-formyl pyrroles are formed, providing a novel route to these heterocycles. In contrast to the metalation of heterocycles, which often lead to mixtures of regioisomeric products, these new oxidative rearrangements of furyl alcohols and furyl sulfonamides generate only one regioisomer in each case.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of silacycloalkyl‐substituted heterocyclic aldehydes and their thiosemicarbazones

A series of 5‐[1‐methylsilacyclo‐pentyl/‐hexyl]‐2‐furfural, 5‐[1‐methylsilacyclo‐pentyl/‐hexyl]‐2‐thiophene carbaldehyde and 1,1‐bis(5‐formyl‐2‐furyl)silacyclo‐pentane/‐hexane and their thiosemicarbazones has been synthesized and subjected to antitumour assay. The effects of the substituents and the heterocycle were examined to establish structure–activity relationships. Thiosemicarbazones of 5‐(1‐methylsilacyclohexyl)furfural and 5‐(1‐methylsilacyclopentyl)furfural were very active (1.0–4.0 µg ml^?1) in vitro against human fibrosarcoma HT‐1080 and mouse hepatoma MG‐22A cells. At the same time, they were less toxic for normal fibroblasts 3T3. All compounds synthesized exhibited low or moderate toxicity (LD₅₀ 152–1904 mg kg^?1). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

沉淀剂对CuZnAl催化剂糠醛气相加氢制糠醇选择性的影响

采用共沉淀法制得分别以NaOH、Na_2CO_3和Na_2CO_3/NaOH为沉淀剂的CuZnAl-1、CuZnAl-2和CuZnAl-3催化剂,采用X射线衍射(XRD)、N2吸附-脱附、H_2-程序升温还原(H_2-TPR)、热重和NH_3-程序升温脱附(NH3-TPD)等方法对催化剂进行了表征,并在固定床反应器上研究了沉淀剂对CuZnAl催化剂糠醛气相加氢制糠醇选择性的影响。结果表明,糠醛加氢在三种催化剂上均有较高转化率,而CuZnAl-3催化剂对糠醇有较高选择性。沉淀剂对CuZnAl催化剂的物相结构、比表面积、酸性和氧化还原性均有较大影响。以Na_2CO_3/NaOH为沉淀剂得到的CuZnAl-3催化剂具有适宜的比表面积、CuO晶相、较弱的酸性位,且表面CuO易于还原,这些因素有利于催化反应生成糠醇。CuZnAl-3催化剂上糠醛气相加氢制糠醇优化工艺参数为:常压、反应温度180℃、氢醛物质的量比为5∶1、糠醛体积空速0.3h~(-1);糠醛转化率为99.4%,糠醇选择性为98.3%。     

Asymmetric synthesis of 7-aza-phomopsolide E and its C-4 epimer

A flexible, enantioselective route to highly functionalized α,β-unsaturated δ-lactones has been applied to the synthesis of 7-aza-phomopsolide E and its C-4 epimer. This approach relies on the application of the Noyori asymmetric hydrogenation of furyl ketone to produce the secondary furyl alcohol in high enantioexcess, which can be stereoselectively transformed into α,β-unsaturated-δ-lactones by a short, highly diastereoselective oxidation and reduction sequence. DCC and acid chloride couplings were used to introduce the side chains of the two natural product analogues.     

Synthesis of 7-oxa-phomopsolide E and its C-4 epimer

A flexible, enantioselective route to highly functionalized α,β-unsaturated δ-lactones has been applied to the synthesis of 7-oxa-phomopsolide E and its C-4 epimer. This approach relies on the application of the Noyori asymmetric hydrogenation of furyl ketone to produce the secondary furyl alcohol in high enantioexcess, which can be stereoselectively transformed into α,β-unsaturated-δ-lactones by a short, highly diastereoselective oxidation and reduction sequence. DCC and Mitsunobu coupling were used to introduce the side chains of the two natural product analogs.     

新型糠醛加氢制糠醇催化剂研究

新型糠醛加氢制糠醇催化剂研究林培滋，黄世煜，周焕文，赵彤彤，刘崇早，罗洪原，梁东白（中国科学院大连化学物理研究所，大连１１６０２３）关键词铜催化剂，糠醛，加氢，糠醇糠醇是重要的化工原料，糖醇树脂是耐酸、碱腐蚀的材料，在工业发达的国家中，铸造工业广泛采...     

二氯菊酸2－甲基－3－（2－呋喃基）－2－丙烯酯的合成

报导了一种新拟除虫菊酯的设计和合成。标题化合物是由二氯菊酰氯与新自制的２－甲基－３－（２－呋喃基）－２－丙烯－１－醇酯化合成。     

Transition metal complexes of a potential anticancer quinazoline ligand

A new heterocycle, namely 2-(furyl)-3-(furfuralimino)-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4(3H)-one (ffdq) was formed by the condensation of 2-aminobenzoylhydrazide with furfural and characterized by physico-chemical, spectroscopic, and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. A series of complexes of ffdq have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical, spectroscopic, and thermal studies. According to the i.r. and ¹H-n.m.r. spectra ffdq behaves as a bidentate ligand coordinating through quinazoline oxygen and azomethine nitrogen. The FAB-mass spectrum of the Cd(II) complex indicates the monomeric nature of this complex. The X-band e.p.r. spectrum of the Cu(II) complex and thermal stabilities of the Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes are discussed.     

Ultra‐trace analysis of furanic compounds in transformer/rectifier oils with water extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography

A novel approach for the determination of parts‐per‐billion level of 5‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐furaldehyde, furfuryl alcohol, furfural, 2‐furyl methyl ketone, and 5‐methylfurfural in transformer or rectifier oils has been successfully innovated and implemented. Various extraction methods including solid‐phase extraction, liquid–liquid extraction using methanol, acetonitrile, and water were studied. Water was by far the most efficient solvent for use as an extraction medium. Separation of the analytes was conducted using a 4.6 mm × 250 mm × 3.5 μm Agilent Zorbax column while detection and quantitation were conducted with a variable wavelength UV detector. Detection limits of all furans were at 1 ppb v/v with linear ranges range from 5 to 1000 ppb v/v with correlation coefficients of 0.997 or better. A relative standard deviation of at most 2.4% at 1000 ppb v/v and 7.3% at 5 ppb v/v and a recovery from 43% to 90% depending on the analyte monitored were obtained. The method was purposely designed to be environmental friendly with water as an extraction medium. Also, the method uses 80% water and 20% acetonitrile with a mere 0.2 mL/min of acetonitrile in an acetonitrile/water mixture as mobile phase. The analytical technique has been demonstrated to be highly reliable with low cost of ownership, suitable for deployment in quality control labs or in regions where available analytical resources and solvents are difficult to procure.     

The reactivity of furan compounds in vapor-phase catalytic oxidation

The reactivity of furan compounds in vapor-phase oxidation with air over a vanadium-molybdenum-phosphorus catalyst on low-porosity corondum has been studied under nongradient conditions. It has been established that the rate of the over-all conversion of the furan compounds studied and the rate of accumulation of maleic anhydride in the cycle decreases in the sequence: furan > furfural > tetrahydrofuran > furfuryl alcohol > 2-methylfuran > 5-methylfurfural, and the selectivity relative to the formation of maleic anhydride decreases in the following sequence: furan > tetrahydrofuran > furfural > furfuryl alcohol > 2-methylfuran > 5-methylfurfural. Some considerations relating to the mechanism of the reaction studied has been put forward.     

糠醛液相加氢用Mo改性Ni-B/TiO2-Al2O3(S)非晶态合金催化剂

以溶胶-凝胶法制备复合载体TiO2-Al2O3(S)负载非晶态Ni-B合金用于催化糠醛液相加氢反应, 并研究了Mo对催化剂的改性作用. 采用ICP(等离子发射光谱)、DSC(差示扫描量热)、N2吸附、TPR(程序升温还原)和TPD(程序升温脱附)等技术对催化剂进行了表征. 研究结果表明, 与单一氧化铝载体相比, 复合载体负载的Ni-B合金催化性能明显提高, 这是由于在同样的制备条件下, 复合载体负载的Ni-B中Ni含量更高, 同时TiO2分散到了γ-Al2O3的孔中, 堵住了部分细孔, 有利于产物糠醇扩散出来, 防止深度加氢. Mo能提高Ni-B/TiO2-Al2O3(S)的热稳定性, 增大Ni的负载量, 使部分氧化态物种变得易于被还原, 表面出现新的加氢活性中心, 并增加化学吸附中心数, 减弱吸氢强度, 因而显著提高了Ni-B/TiO2-Al2O3(S)的活性; Mo添加使Ni-B/TiO2-Al2O3(S)的平均孔径及总孔容均增大, 有利于产物糠醇扩散出来, 还能使糠醇更易从催化剂的表面脱附, 防止其深度加氢, 因而提高了糠醇的选择性. 当Mo含量为1.25%时, 糠醛转化率、糠醇选择性都达到了100%.     

The use of steamed hemicellulose as substrate in microbial conversions

The suitability of acid- and enzymatically hydrolyzed birch hemicellulose as biotechnical raw material was studied usingCluconobacter oxydans, Fusarium oxysporum, andCandida utilis for production of xylonic acid, ethanol, and SCP, respectively. The fermentabilities of both hydrolyzates were rather similar and inhibition was evident in all cases at xylose concentrations of 257–30 g/L and higher. Potential identified fermentation inhibitors were the lignin-derived compounds sinapyl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol, vanillin, and syringaldehyde and the sugar degradation products furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural.     

Degradation of furfural (2- furaldehyde) to methane and carbon dioxide by an anaerobic consortium

Furfural, a byproduct formed during the thermal/chemical pre-treatment of hemicellulosic biomass, was degraded to methane and carbon dioxide under anaerobic conditions. The consortium of anaerobic microbes responsible for the degradation was enriched using small continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) systems with daily batch feeding of biomass pretreatment liquor and continuous addition of furfural. Although the continuous infusion of furfural was initially inhibitory to the anaerobic CSTR system, adaptation of the consortium occurred rapidly with high rates of furfural addition. Addition rates of 7.35 mg furfural/700-mL reactor/d resulted in biogas productions of 375%, of that produced in control CSTR systems, fed the biomass pretreatment liquor only. The anaerobic CSTR system fed high levels of furfural was stable, with a sludge pH of 7.1 and methane gas composition of 69%, compared to the control CSTR, which had a pH of 7.2 and 77% methane. CSTR systems in which furfural was continuously added resulted in 80% of the theoretically expected biogas. Intermediates in the anaerobic biodegradation of furfural were determined by spike additions in serum-bottle assays using the enriched consortium from the CSTR systems. Furfural was converted to several intermediates, including furfuryl alcohol, furoic acid, and acetic acid, before final conversion to methane and carbon dioxide.     

Antiknock properties of furfural derivatives

Preparative amounts of furfuryl alcohol ethers and furfural acetals were prepared from renewable vegetable raw materials. The blending reseach octane numbers of mixing of furan derivatives in straight-run gasoline were estimated: butyl furfuryl ether, 97.8 ± 7; propyl furfuryl ether, 112 ± 6; furfural diethyl acetal, 105 ± 6, furfural ethylene glycol acetal, 108 ± 7; furfurylamine, 194 ± 4. These results demonstrate prospects for using furan derivatives as available biofuels.     

Cr-free Co-Cu/SBA-15 catalysts for hydrogenation of biomass-derivedα-,β-unsaturated aldehyde to alcohol

Cr-free bi-metallic SBA-15-supported Co–Cu catalysts were examined in the conversion of bio-mass-derived α-, β-unsaturated aldehyde (furfural) to value-added chemical furfuryl alcohol (FOL). Co–Cu/SBA-15 catalysts with a fixed Cu loading of 10 wt% and varying Co loadings (2.5, 5, and 10 wt%) were prepared by the impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray dif-fraction, N2 sorption, H2 temperature-programmed reduction, scanning electron microscopy, ener-gy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, CO chemi-sorption, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The influence of different reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure, catalyst dosage, and furfural concentration on the cata-lyst performance was evaluated. Relative to catalysts supported on amorphous silica, the current SBA-15-supported Co–Cu catalysts displayed higher performance, attaining a furfural conversion of 99% and furfuryl alcohol selectivity of 80%. The catalytic reactions were conducted in a 100-mL autoclave at 170 °C and 2 MPa H2 pressure for 4 h.     

焙烧温度对CuMgAl催化剂催化糠醛气相加氢制糠醇性能的影响

采用分步沉淀过程制得质量比m(CuO)∶m(MgO)∶m(Al_2O_3)为25∶26∶49的CuMgAl类水滑石前驱体,经过不同温度焙烧制得CuMgAl-t催化剂。通过BET、热重、XRD、H_2-TPR和CO_2-TPD对催化剂进行表征,在固定床中考察CuMgAl-t催化剂催化糠醛气相加氢制糠醇的性能。结果表明,焙烧温度影响催化剂活性、稳定性及对产物的选择性,低温焙烧的催化剂经还原后可获得较多活性中心,高温焙烧的催化剂表面具有更多的碱性位,CuMgAl催化剂经450℃焙烧表面存在适宜的活性中心和碱性位。在常压、反应温度180℃、氢醛物质的量比5∶1、糠醛体积空速0.3h~(-1)的条件下,CuMgAl-450催化剂上糠醛的转化率和糠醇的选择性分别达到98.64%和97.66%。     

Reduction of furfural to furfuryl alcohol by ethanologenic strains of bacteria and its effect on ethanol production from xylose

The ethanologenic bacteria Escherichia coli strains KO11 and LYO1, and Klebsiella oxytoca strain P2, were investigated for their ability to metabolize furfural. Using high performance liquid chromatography and ¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, furfural was found to be completely biotransformed into furfuryl alcohol by each of the three strains with tryptone and yeast extract as sole carbon sources. This reduction appears to be constitutive with NAD(P)H acting as electron donor. Glucose was shown to be an effective source of reducing power. Succinate inhibited furfural reduction, indicating that flavins are unlikely participants in this process. Furfural at concentrations >10 mM decreased the rate of ethanol formation but did not affect the final yield. Insight into the biochemical nature of this furfural reduction process may help efforts to mitigate furfural toxicity during ethanol production by ethanologenic bacteria.