Effects of Water on the Copper-Catalyzed Conversion of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Tetrahydrofuran

Reaction kinetics were studied to quantify the effects of water on the conversion of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in THF over Cu/-Al2O3 at 448K using molecular H-2 as the hydrogen source. We show that low concentrations of water (5wt%) in the THF solvent significantly alter reaction rates and selectivities for the formation of reaction products by hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis processes. In the absence of water, HMF was converted primarily to hydrogenolysis products 2-methyl-5-hydroxymethylfuran (MHMF) and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), whereas reactions carried out in THF-H2O mixtures (THF/H2O=95:5 w/w) led to the selective production of the hydrogenation product 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) and inhibition of HMF hydrogenolysis.