One-pot synthesis of furans from various saccharides using a combination of solid acid and base catalysts

Abstract

One-pot synthesis of furans from various saccharides such as arabinose, rhamnose, and lactose were performed over solid acid and base catalysts. The combination of Amberlyst-15 and hydrotalcite catalysts showed successful activity for corresponding furans formation such as 2-furaldehyde (furfural), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF), and 5-methyl- 2-furaldehyde (MF) via one-pot synthesis including isomerization and dehydration reactions. Moreover, the acidbase pair catalysts were also found to display excellent activity for the transformation from mixed-sources of sugars to furans. It was indicated that the isomerization of saccharides and successive dehydration in the one-pot synthesis of furans will be a great approach in a biorefinery. © 2012 The Chemical Society of Japan.