Graphene Oxide Catalyzed Dehydration of Fructose into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural with Isopropanol as Cosolvent

Graphical GO-ing all the way: Graphene oxide is demonstrated to be a green heterogeneous catalyst for the selective dehydration of fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in a cost efficient and environmentally benign isopropanol-mediated solvent system. A small number of sulfonic groups with the synergic effect of oxygen-containing groups (alcohols, epoxides, carboxylates) make graphene oxide an efficient acid catalyst. The design of green heterogeneous catalysts for the efficient conversion of biomass into platform molecules is a key aim of sustainable chemistry. Graphene oxide prepared from Hummers oxidation of graphite was proven to be a green and efficient carbocatalyst for the dehydration of fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in some three-carbon and four-carbon alcohol mediated solvent systems. HMF was obtained in up to 87 % yield in 90 vol % isopropanol-mediated DMSO solvent. Some control experiments and analytical data showed that a small number of sulfonic groups and abundance of oxygen-containing groups (alcohols, epoxides, carboxylates) have an important synergic effect in maintaining the high performance of graphene oxide.