Carbon Nanoparticles on Magnetite: A New Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) to 2,5-Diformoylfuran (DFF)

Development of new materials for catalytic applications is one of the rapidly growing research areas. The selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) is one of the rapidly growing research area due to having its own importance in the fuel technology. We report a new heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of HMF to DFF in aqueous medium using a carbon soot (from candle light) deposited on magnetite (Fe3O4@C). Further, the potentiality of our catalyst has also been realized in direct production of DFF from biomass (using either fructose or glucose) with high conversions via two consecutive steps involving dehydration and oxidation. Further, proved that Fe3O4@C plays a major role in the dehydration of sugar molecules whereas Fe3O4 alone could not.