Quantitative formation of furfural and methylfurfural from pentoses and methylpentoses

Abstract

A procedure, previously reported, which gave quantitative production of furfural from xylose, was applied to arabinose and rhamnose. It consisted in rapid steam distillation of the p entose in 12-percent hydrochloric acid saturated with sodium chloride. Although the conversion of arabinose and rhamnose is slower than that of xylose, theoretical yields of furfural and methylfurfural, respec tively, were obtained. The effects of several salts in the distilling medium were also studied. The rates of production of furfural from xylose or arabinose ill the presence of these salts and of methylfurfural from rh amnose in t he presence of sodium chloride were obtained. Salts which caused the distillation temperature to go above 112° C incrcased the initial rate of formation of furfural but lowered the yields .