Production of biobased HMF derivatives by reductive amination

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Abstract
5-(Hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) has recently attracted a significant amount of revived attention as a renewable building block for conversion to a wide range of useful derivatives. A simple procedure for the conversion of HMF to (5-alkyl- and 5-arylaminomethyl-furan-2-yl)methanol has now been developed. Reactions were conducted without the use of a catalyst and under very mild conditions. As a proof of concept, a small library of derivatives was produced from HMF and several aliphatic and aromatic amines in high yields and requiring only minimal purification. This route presents a novel way for the production of furan-based renewable building blocks.