Synthesis of 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and fructose in ethanol catalyzed by MCM-41 supported phosphotungstic acid

In this study, we have developed a new method for the synthesis of EMF from HMF and fructose using mesoporous MCM-41 supported 12-tungstophosphoric acid (MCM-41-HPW) as the catalyst. The structure of 40 wt.% MCM-41-HPW was characterized by various techniques and its surface acidity was determined by potentiometric titration. A high EMF yield of 83.4% was obtained from HMF by the etherification reaction. Synthesis of EMF from fructose was also realized through one-pot reaction with a moderate yield of 42.9%. More importantly, the catalyst could be reused for several times without the loss of its catalytic activity. (C) 2013 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.