In this work, 5-(formyloxymethyl)furfural (FMF) has been produced from biomass-derived hexose sugars within a biphasic reaction mixture consisting of aqueous formic acid (85%), a strong Brønsted acid catalyst, and 1,2-dichloroethane as an organic extractant. Using a combination of aqueous hydrobromic acid and formic acid, under optimized condition (80 °C, 8 h, 10 wt% substrate loading), 68% isolated yield of FMF was obtained from fructose. FMF has been demonstrated as a renewable chemical building block for the synthesis of renewable chemicals of commercial significance such as 5-methylfurfural, 2,5-diformylfuran, and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid in good to excellent isolated yields.
Keywords: 5-(formyloxymethyl)furfural; Biomass; Catalysis; Formic acid; Renewable synthesis.
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