Cellulose sulfuric acid as a bio-supported and recyclable solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from fructose

In this study, we have developed a new and green method for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) from fructose using cellulose sulfuric acid as catalyst. Firstly, HMF was synthesized from fructose, and a high yield of 93.6 % was obtained in DMSO for 45 min in the presence of cellulose sulfuric acid. Cellulose sulfuric acid also showed high catalytic activity for the synthesis of EMF. EMF was obtained in a high yield of 84.4 % by the etherification of HMF under the optimal reaction conditions. More importantly, a high EMF yield of 72.5 % was also obtained from fructose through one-pot reaction strategy, which integrated the dehydration of fructose into HMF and the followed etherification of HMF into EMF. The reaction work-up was very simple and the catalyst could be reused several times without the loss of its catalytic activity.     

Zirconyl schiff base complex-functionalized MCM-41 catalyzes dehydration of fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in organic solvents

A heterogeneous catalyst was prepared by immobilizing Zirconyl Schiff base complex on the modified MCM-41 and used in the conversion of fructose to HMF. A higher HMF yield was obtained when fructose as raw material under optimal reaction conditions.     

The catalytic effect of Al-KIT-5 and KIT-5-SO<Subscript>3</Subscript>H on the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

The aim of this work is to study the production of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from fructose using heterogenous catalysts based on KIT-5. For this propose, Al-KIT-5 and KIT-5-SO₃H as the Lewis and Bronsted catalysts were prepared and were characterized using different techniques such as FT-IR, SEM, EDS, TEM, BET, TGA and elemental analysis. With the use of Al-KIT-5 as the catalyst, the appropriate reaction temperature and time were 135 °C and 60 min, respectively. Moreover, with the use of KIT-5-SO₃H as the catalyst, the proper reaction conditions were found to be 125 °C and 45 min, respectively. In addition, the corresponding amounts of catalyst weight were 40 and 50 mg for KIT-5-SO₃H and Al-KIT-5, respectively. Under these conditions, the conversion of fructose was 93.9 and 88.3%, respectively. These results indicated that, due to its Bronsted acid nature, the KIT-5-SO₃H catalyst showed better results when 40 mg catalyst was used at 125 °C for 45 min in DMSO as the solvent. Both catalysts could be recycled and reused several times.     

Selective transformation of carbohydrates to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural over tungstophosphoric acid supported on activated carbon derived from orange peel

A series of tungstophosphoric acid supported on activated carbon derived from left-over orange-peel catalysts (TPA/OAC) have been prepared. These catalysts were examined for one-pot catalytic transformation of fructose/glucose to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural. Physico-chemical properties of the catalytic materials were executed by using various characterization methods. Spectroscopic analysis results propose that TPA was finely distributed on the high surface area carbon support with persistent Keggin ion structure. The EMF yield is depended on the content of active component TPA on support and also on the reaction conditions. The catalyst with 25 wt% TPA on OAC presented highest activity towards EMF synthesis from fructose. Although, the catalyst 25 wt% TPA/OAC showed low activity towards EMF synthesis from glucose, higher yields of ethyl glucopyranoside could be formed from glucose in EtOH. Activated carbon was synthesized by carbonization of orange peel treated with H₃PO₄, which was used as a good support for HPAs. The catalysts are quite stable and recyclable for the dehydrative alkylation of fructose.     

Direct conversion of fructose-based carbohydrates to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural catalyzed by AlCl3·6H2O/BF3·(Et)2O in ethanol

Direct conversion of fructose-based carbohydrates to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) catalyzed by Lewis acid in ethanol was investigated. It was found that BF₃·(Et)₂O was favorable for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) etherification to EMF. BF₃·(Et)₂O combination with AlCl₃·6H₂O with the molar ratio of 1 was an effective catalyst system for synthesis of EMF from fructose-based carbohydrates. 55.0%, 45.4% and 23.9% of EMF yields were obtained from fructose, inulin and sucrose under optimized conditions, respectively.     

磺酸多相催化剂用于二甲基亚砜中C6-单糖脱水制5-羟甲基糠醛（英）

Sulfonic acid-functionalized heterogeneous catalysts have been evaluated in the catalytic dehydration of C(,monosaccharides into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF) using dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)as solvent.Sulfonic commercial resin Amberlyst-70 was the most active catalyst,which was ascribed to its higher concentration of sulfonic acid sites as compared with the other catalysts,and it gave 93 mol%yield of HMF from fructose in 1 h.With glucose as the starting material,which is a much more difficult reaction,the reaction conditions(time,temperature,and catalyst loading) were optimized for Amberlyst-70 by a response surface methodology,which gave a maximum HMF yield of 33 mol%at 147 °C with 23 wt%catalyst loading based on glucose and 24 h reaction time.DMSO promotes the dehydration of glucose into anhydroglucose,which acts as a reservoir of the substrate to facilitate the production of HMF by reducing side reactions.Catalyst reuse without a regeneration treatment showed a gradual but not very significant decay in catalytic activity.     

磺酸官能化的磁性核壳结构的纳米材料用于果糖脱水制备5-羟甲基糠醛(英)

通过反相微乳液法制备了以Fe₃O₄为核,磺酸官能化的硅基材料为壳层的磁性酸性催化剂.首先制备纳米Fe₃O₄磁核,然后涂层包覆苯基修饰的纳米级硅层,最后进行苯基磺化修饰,制得固体酸催化剂Fe₃O₄@Si/Ph-SO₃H.在果糖脱水制备5-羟甲基糠醛反应中,该催化剂表现出较好的催化活性,优于传统催化剂A-15,且与均相无机酸催化活性相当.当采用二甲基亚砜作溶剂,在110℃下反应3 h,果糖转化率达到99%,5-羟甲基糠醛收率为82%.另外,该催化剂经磁法回收后可多次重复使用.     

Organic acid catalyzed production of platform chemical 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose: Process comparison and evaluation based on kinetic modeling

Fructose was converted to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), an important biomass-derived platform chemical, under mild conditions (100–130 °C) with several organic acids including p-toluene sulfonic (pTSA), oxalic, maleic, malonic and succinic acids as the catalysts. The process kinetics was compared considering fructose dehydration to HMF as the objective reaction and condensation of fructose and HMF to humin and rehydration of HMF as the main side reactions. DMSO was found to be the most effective solvent reaction medium to obtain high fructose conversion and HMF yield. Observed kinetic modeling illustrated that the rehydration and condensation of HMF in DMSO actually could be neglected, especially for the oxalic acid catalyzed system. The determined observed activation energy for fructose conversion to HMF and humin in DMSO medium was 33.75 and 24.94 kJ/mol for pTSA catalyzed system, and 96.51 and 78.39 kJ/mol for oxalic acid-catalyzed system, respectively. HMF yields of 90.2% and 84.1% were obtained for pTSA and oxalic acid catalyzed systems, respectively.     

Aluminum alkoxy-catalyzed biomass conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural: Mechanistic study of the cooperative bifunctional catalysis

Density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the detailed reaction mechanism of aluminum alkoxy-catalyzed conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using Al(OMe)₃ as catalyst. Potential energy surfaces were studied for aggregates formed between the organic compounds and Al(OMe)₃ and effects of the medium were considered via continuum solvent models. The reaction takes place via two stages: isomerization from glucose to fructose (stage I) and transformation of fructose to HMF (stage II). Stage II includes three successive dehydrations, which begins with a 1,2-elimination to form an enolate (i.e., B), continues with the formation of the acrolein moiety (i.e., D), and ends with the formation of the furan ring (i.e., HMF). All of these steps are facilitated by aluminum alkoxy catalysis. The highest barriers for stage I and stage II are 23.9 and 31.2 kcal/mol, respectively, and the overall catalytic reaction is highly exothermic. The energetic and geometric results indicate that the catalyzed reaction path has feasible kinetics and thermodynamics and is consistent with the experimental process under high temperature (i.e., 120 °C). Remarkably, the released water molecules in stage II act as the product, reactant, proton shuttle, as well as stabilizer in the conversion of fructose to HMF. The metal–ligand functionality of the Al(OMe)₃ catalyst, which combines cooperative Lewis acid and Lewis base properties and thereby enables proton shuttling, plays a crucial role in the overall catalysis and is responsible for the high reactivity. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

MCM‐41 Immobilized Acidic Functional Ionic Liquid and Chromium(III) Complexes Catalyzed Conversion of Hexose into 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural

The development of novel methods to obtain biofuels and chemicals from biomass has been an immediate issue in both academic and industrial communities. In this work, a series of novel catalysts were prepared and characterized by FT‐IR , TGA , XRD , SEM , TEM , ICP‐AES , NH₃‐TPD and BET , which were applied for the conversion of hexose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF ). The Cr(Salten)‐MCM ‐41‐[(CH₂ )₃SO₃HVIm ]HSO₄ catalyst was the most active catalyst, and a glucose conversion of 99.8% with 50.2% HMF yield was obtained at 140 °C for 4 h in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO ). The effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, solvents and catalyst dosages were investigated in detail. MCM ‐41 immobilized acidic functional ionic liquid and chromium(III ) Schiff base complexes as heterogeneous catalysts can be easily recovered by simple filter treatment, exhibiting excellent stability and activity towards hexose conversion. Thus the heterogeneous catalysts were environment‐friendly for transforming biomass carbohydrates into fine chemicals.     

Protonated and layered transition metal oxides as solid acids for dehydration of biomass-based fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

A serial of protonated and layered transition metal oxides, including layered HTa WO_6, HNbMoO_6 as well as HNb WO_6, were synthesized by solid-state reaction and ion-exchange. The layered HTa WO_6 has been systematically studied as a solid acid to realize the dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF). The transition metal oxide samples were characterized with ICP-OES, EDS, XRD, XPS, SEM, TGA,FT-IR, N2adsorption–desorption and NH3-TPD. The influential factors such as reaction temperature, reaction time, solvent, catalyst amount and substrate concentration were deeply investigated. The optimized fructose conversion rate of 99% with HMF yield of 67% were achieved after 30 min at 140 °C in dimethylsulfoxide.     

Intermediates in the intramolecular ligand transfer reactions of h5-C5H5Fe(CO)2R complexes

Dissolution of h⁵-C₅H₅Fe(CO)₂R (I) (R = cyclohexyl or cyclohexylmethyl) in DMSO leads to the formation of a solvent coordinated acyl complex, h⁵-C₅H₅Fe(CO)(COR)(DMSO) (II). Treatment of this complex with triphenylphosphine leads to its conversion to h⁵-C₅H₅Fe(COR)(PPh₃) (III). Rates for the reaction I ? and II → III have been determined. A comparison of the rates of the reaction I → III in eight solvents shows no specific rate acceleration in DMSO and no correlation with solvent donicity. The results are in accord with a two step mechanism in which the first intermediate is the coordiantively-unsaturated species h⁵-C₅H₅Fe(COR)(CO). The small spread in rates for solvents of widely different dielectric constants suggests little charge separation in the transition state for this step.     

Synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose in a biphasic medium with AlCl<Subscript>3</Subscript> and boric acid as the catalyst

In combination with non-corrosive and low-toxic boric acid, AlCl₃ · 6H₂O was found to be effective for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) from glucose. In this work, a 5-HMF yield of ≈ 60 % was obtained at 170°C for 40 min in a H₂O/THF biphasic solvent mixture. An addition of NaCl not only improved the partition coefficients but also inhibited by-product formation. THF was identified as an ideal extraction solvent in biphasic systems containing C4 solvents. However, low concentration of ZnCl₂, CoCl₂ · 6H₂O, MnCl₂ · 4H₂O, NiCl₂ · 6H₂O, FeCl₃ · 6H₂O were not suitable for the catalyst system, while ZrOCl₂ · 8H₂O, InCl₃ · 4H₂O showed high activity for the reaction. Boric acid increased the amount of Lewis acid sites in the reactive phase and enhanced the isomerization of glucose to fructose. A mechanism of the AlCl₃ · 6H₂O and boric acid catalyzed glucose dehydration reaction was proposed to proceed through the isomerization of glucose to fructose followed by the transformation of fructose to 5-HMF.     

Efficient conversion of fructose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural by functionalized γ‐Al2O3 beads

Millimeter size γ‐Al₂O₃ beads were prepared by alginate assisted sol–gel method and grafting organic groups with propyl sulfonic acid and alkyl groups as functionalized γ‐Al₂O₃ bead catalysts for fructose dehydration to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF). Experiment results showed that the porous structure of γ‐Al₂O₃ beads was favorable to the loading and dispersion of active components, and had an obvious effect on the properties of the catalyst. The lower calcination temperature of γ‐Al₂O₃ beads increased the specific surface area, the hydrophobicity and the activity of catalysts. Competition between the reaction of alkyl groups and ‐SH groups with surface hydroxyl during the preparation process of the catalyst influenced greatly the acid site densities, hydrophobic properties and activity of the catalyst. With an increase in the alkyl group chain, the hydrophobicity of catalysts increased obviously and the activity of the catalyst was enhanced. The most hydrophobic catalyst C₁₆‐SO₃H‐γ‐Al₂O₃–650°C exhibited the highest yield of 5‐HMF (84%) under the following reaction conditions: reaction medium of dimethylsulfoxide/H₂O (V/V, 4:1), catalyst amount of 30 mg, temperature of 110°C and reaction time of 4 hr.     

Understanding solvent effects in the selective conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural: a molecular dynamics investigation

Selective conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) involves the participation of high-boiling solvents like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In order to replace DMSO with low-boiling solvents, it is imperative that we understand the effect of DMSO solvation in protecting (i) HMF from rehydration and humins formation reactions and (ii) fructose from side reactions, other than its dehydration to HMF. In the present work, molecular dynamics simulations of HMF and fructose in water and in water-DMSO mixtures are carried out using the OPLS-AA force field. Radial pair distribution functions, coordination numbers and the hydrogen-bond network between the HMF/fructose molecule and the solvent molecules are analysed. The local 3-dimensional picture of the arrangement of solvent molecules around the solute, which cannot be accessed from pair distribution functions, is also computed. We show preferential coordination of DMSO around HMF and explain how this could provide a shielding effect to the HMF molecule, thus protecting it from further rehydration to levulinic acid and formic acid and from humins formation. In the case of fructose, the presence of DMSO also reduces the number of water molecules in the immediate vicinity of fructose. Though fewer water molecules coordinate around fructose, they are bound strongly to it. Analysis of the local 3-dimensional arrangement of DMSO molecules suggests that it protects the fructose molecule from side reactions that would lead to condensation or reversion products. However, the presence of DMSO molecules does not hamper the water molecules coming into contact with the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl groups of fructose, which is required for a proton transfer from water to fructose, to initiate the dehydration reaction to HMF.     

Production of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural from Fructose in Ionic Liquid Efficiently Catalyzed by Cr(III)‐Al2O3 Catalyst

A series of metal‐Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared simply by the conventional impregnation with Al₂O₃ and metal chlorides, which were applied to the dehydration of fructose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). An agreeable HMF yield of 93.1% was achieved from fructose at mild conditions (100°C and 40 min) when employing Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ as catalyst in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). The Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ catalyst was characterized via XRD, DRS and Raman spectra and the results clarified the interaction between the Cr(III) and the alumina support. Meanwhile, the reaction solvents ([Bmim]Cl) collected after 1^st reaction run and 5^th reaction run were analyzed by ICP‐OES and LC‐ITMS and the results confirmed that no Cr(III) ion was dropped off from the alumina support during the fructose dehydration. Notably, Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ catalyst had an excellent catalytic performance for glucose and sucrose and the HMF yields were reached to 73.7% and 84.1% at 120°C for 60 min, respectively. Furthermore, the system of Cr(III)‐Al₂O₃ and [Bmim]Cl exhibited a constant stability and activity at 100°C for 40 min and a favorable HMF yield was maintained after ten recycles.     

Selective Catalytic Isomerization of β-Pinene Oxide to Perillyl Alcohol Enhanced by Protic Tetraimidazolium Nitrate

A series of tetraimidazolium salts with different anions was prepared and applied in the isomerization of β-pinene oxide. After examining the activity of different catalysts, a remarkable enhancement of the selectivity of perillyl alcohol (47 %) was obtained over [PEimi][HNO₃]₄ under mild reaction conditions and using DMSO as the solvent. Furthermore, noncovalent interactions between solvent molecules and the catalyst were found by FT-IR spectroscopy and confirmed by computational chemistry. The homogeneous catalyst showed excellent stability and was reused up to six times without significant loss.     

Ozone-Assisted Catalysis of Toluene with Layered ZSM-5 and Ag/ZSM-5 Zeolites

This paper presents a new type of ozone-assisted catalysis for toluene decomposition. The different catalytic activities of ZSM-5 and Ag/ZSM-5 were incorporated into a layered catalyst with a tandem configuration. Instead of increasing the amount of metal catalyst, the layered catalyst was formed, which had an equal amount of bare ZSM-5 and Ag/ZSM-5 and could achieve both high toluene conversion and CO₂ selectivity concurrently. The properties of each catalyst were evaluated with respect to toluene conversion, formation of intermediates, CO₂ selectivity and ozone demand factor. The bare ZSM-5 exhibited higher toluene conversion than the Ag/ZSM-5, while its activity toward deep oxidation was limited. However, the Ag/ZSM-5 was found to be effective for the deep oxidation of reaction intermediates (HCOOH and CO). Separate oxidation tests with HCOOH and CO revealed that the ZSM-5-supported Ag nanoparticles could oxidize the HCOOH and CO in the absence of ozone, which was not possible with the bare ZSM-5. Plausible pathways for the oxidation of toluene with O₃ over ZSM-5 and Ag/ZSM-5 were proposed based on the experimental evidence.     

Leaf-derived sulfonated carbon dots: efficient and recoverable catalysts to synthesize 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose

Sulfonated carbon dots (SCDs) were synthesized from plant leaves via continuously hydrothermal treatment by hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid, used as catalyst for converting fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Owing to nanosize effect and moderate acidic intensity, SCDs could thoroughly distribute in the solvent with an improved interfacial compatibility and selectively convert fructose to HMF. Under the optimal condition, the yield of HMF was 92.6% along with a fructose conversion of 100%, benefiting from a low activation energy of 52.9 kJ/mol when dimethylsulfoxide was used as solvent. The SCDs catalyst can be recovered, after six recycles, the fructose conversion and HMF yield were remained 66.1% and 56.2% under condition with incompletely conversion of fructose, respectively. This work provides a sustainable route to prepare carbon dots with a superior catalytic performance for converting biomass to important biobased platform chemicals.     

Fructose dehydration to 5HMF in a green self-catalysed DES composed of N,N-diethylethanolammonium chloride and p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (p-TSA)

Due to the increasing concerns about the availability and accessibility of fossil fuel reserves, and the subsequent effect of using them on climate change, production of green energy has recently become a hot area of interest in the research field. As a renewable energy source, biomass conversion to biofuels has shown a great potential towards green fuel production; particularly fructose conversion to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5HMF) as a building block material and source of green fuels and other high value chemicals.Herein, we investigate fructose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5HMF) as a green fuel precursor, using a green self-catalysed environmentally friendly Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES), composed of inexpensive N,N-diethylethanolammonium chloride as organic salt and p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (p-TSA) as a hydrogen bond donor (HBD) and novel medium for the fructose dehydration reaction.The advantage of using this DES is its ability to act as a solvent and catalyst simultaneously. It has shown to actively catalyse the dehydration reaction of fructose under moderate reaction conditions with a high 5HMF yield of 84.8% at a reaction temperature of 80 °C, reaction time of 1 h, DES mixing ratio of 1:0.5 salt to p-TSA (w/w), and initial fructose ratio of 5.