Polystyrene immobilized Brønsted acid ionic liquid as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose

Abstract

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is one of the compounds, which has attracted a lot of attention due to its multi-functional nature and many applications in the industry. In this experimental study, 5-HMF has been synthesized using a polystyrene-supported Brønsted acid ionic liquid catalyst. This heterogonous catalyst has been synthesized via the decoration of 5-amino-1H-tetrazole-bonded sulfonic acid onto the surface of chloromethylated polystyrene (PS-Tet-SO3H). The prepared PS-Tet-SO3H is was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PS-Tet-SO3H catalyst for has then been used in the synthesis of 5-HMF from fructose via an acid hydrolysis reaction. Finally, the prepared PS-Tet-SO3H can be recycled and reused for 4 cycles with no significant loss of performance.