Exploring the electrochemical ring hydrogenation of furanic compounds

Abstract

The electrochemical ring hydrogenation of aromatic compounds is an important synthetic tool, though scarcely described in the literature. This research paper investigates the utilization of different Pd- and Pt-containing electrocatalyst materials for an electrosynthesis of tetrahydrofuran derivatives from furfural and related furans. It focuses on the selectivity of the ring hydrogenation as a function of the electrocatalyst composition, as well as on a preliminary elucidation of the electrocatalytic activity during repetitive electrode use. Furthermore, different furanic derivatives are employed as starting material for mechanistic considerations. While furfural, furfuryl alcohol and furan are found to be highly reactive in ring hydrogenation reactions, furoic acid and 2-methyl furan do not show this behavior. Selectivities for tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol of up to 15.3% (from furfural) and 33% (from furfuryl alcohol) are observed in this context.