Electrochemical Incorporation of Electrophiles into the Biomass-Derived Platform Molecule 5-(Chloromethyl)furfural

ChemSusChem. 2023 Mar 8;16(5):e202201787. doi: 10.1002/cssc.202201787. Epub 2023 Jan 13.

Abstract

The 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) derivative ethyl 5-(chloromethyl)furan-2-carboxylate undergoes two-electron electrochemical reduction in a simple, undivided cell to give the corresponding furylogous enolate anion, which can either be quenched with carbon dioxide to give a 5-(carboxymethyl)furan-2-carboxylate or with hydrogen ion to give a 5-methylfuran-2-carboxylate, thereby expanding the derivative scope of CMF as a biobased platform molecule.

Keywords: 5-(chloromethyl)furfural; biobased products; carbon dioxide fixation; electrochemistry; electrosynthesis; platform molecules.