Process for synthesizing 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
The invention relates to a process for the production of a mixture of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and glucose from a feedstock containing fructose in the presence of at least one polar aprotic solvent and of at least one dehydration catalyst, in which process the reaction temperature is less than 90° C.
1 . A process for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, comprising bringing a feedstock of sucrose or a mixture of glucose and fructose into contact with methanesulfonic acid and/or HCl as catalyst in dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent, said process being carried out at a temperature of 50 to 90° C. and which process selectively converts fructoside units of the feedstock in contrast to the glucoside units of the feedstock, and in which the feedstock is introduced in an initial concentration by weight of fructoside units of greater than or equal to 7% by weight with respect to the total weight of the dimethyl sulfoxide.
2 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , which is carried out at a temperature of 60 to 85° C.
3 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the conversion of the fructoside fraction into 5-HMF is greater than or equal to 70% and the conversion of the non-fructoside fraction is less than or equal to 20%.
4 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the feedstock is introduced at a dimethyl sulfoxide/feedstock ratio by weight of 0.1 to 200.
5 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the methanesulfonic acid as catalyst is introduced in a dimethyl sulfoxide/methanesulfonic acid ratio by weight of 20 to 10 000, in which the weight of dimethyl sulfoxide corresponds to the total weight of dimethyl sulfoxide in the process.
6 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the catalyst is HCl.
7 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the feedstock is introduced in an initial concentration by weight of fructoside unit of 8% to 30% by weight, with respect to the total weight of solvent.
8 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , which is carried out at a temperature of 65 to 75° C.
9 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , which is carried out at a temperature of 50 to 65° C.
10 . The process as claimed in claim 1 , in which the catalyst is methanesulfonic acid.