Multigram Synthesis of Pure HMF and BHMF.

Abstract

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a bio-based platform chemical that can be used as a building block to produce several compounds with diverse applications. Even though HMF synthesis holds promise for a greener future, the current state of technology and the high production cost limit its competitiveness on an industrial scale. In this prospect, we have developed a multigram-scale procedure for HMF by reacting d-fructose with Purolite CT275DR—an acidic resin—in a dimethyl carbonate (DMC)/tetraethyl ammonium bromide (TEAB) biphasic system. Reactions performed in an autoclave for 2 h at 110 °C using up to 40 gram of d-fructose resulted in an overall HMF yield of 70%. HMF was purified by a custom-made procedure leading to ca 50% of the pure crystalline product; meanwhile, the residual HMF-rich oil was directly reduced to bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF). Green metrics and the Ecoscale algorithm were used to evaluate the sustainability of the herein-proposed procedure in comparison with previously reported works.