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.