Electrogenerated acid as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

A new method for the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) with high yields in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is presented. By using constant-current electrolysis more than 90% of sucrose or fructose was converted to HMF at room temperature in DMSO in the presence of traces of water. It has been demonstrated that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can be easily synthesized with 80–85% yields in DMSO as the solvent, starting from sucrose or fructose, at room temperature, by in situ electrogenerated acid as catalyst. The synthesis can be performed by means of constant-current electrolysis, using milder conditions than those usually reporte