The dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural efficiently catalyzed by acidic ion-exchange resin in ionic liquid

Catalytic Transformation of Fructose and Sucrose to HMF with Proline-Derived Ionic Liquids under Mild Conditions

L-Proline derived ionic liquids (ILs) used as both solvent and catalyst were efficient for transformation of fructose and sucrose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in the presence of water. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize fructose dehydration process, and a maximum HMF yield of 73.6% could be obtained at 90°C after 50 min. The recycling of the IL exhibited an almost constant activity during five successive trials, and a possible reaction mechanism for the dehydration of fructose to HMF was proposed.

Catalytic conversion of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over cellulose-derived carbonaceous catalyst in ionic liquid

Three environmental-benign and low-cost carbon-based solid acid catalysts containing -SO3H, -COOH and phenolic -OH groups were prepared and used for the conversion of glucose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl). The results demonstrated that cellulose-derived carbonaceous catalyst (CCC) possessed the highest catalytic activity, which resulted in 46.4% HMF yield at 160°C for only 15 min. In addition, the reaction kinetics for the conversion of glucose into HMF over CCC was fitted with the first-order rate equation. The slightly-deactivated CCC after four successive reaction runs could be easily regenerated by a simple carbonization and sulfonation process. More gratifyingly, the combination of CCC and [BMIM]Cl were confirmed to be suitable for converting other carbohydrates such as fructose, sucrose, maltose, cellobiose, starch and cellulose into HMF. Particularly, a plausible mechanism involving hydrolysis, isomerization and dehydration for the conversion of carbohydrates into HMF was also proposed.