InCl sub(3)-catalyzed conversion of carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in biphasic system

InCl sub(3), a water-compatible Lewis acid, was used for the conversion of microcrystalline cellulose to produce 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in a H sub(2)O/THF biphasic system. Addition of NaCl increased the HMF yield significantly but suppressed the levulinic acid (LA) formation. The HMF yield of 39.7% was obtained in 2 h at 200 degree C in the NaCl-H sub(2)O/THF catalytic system catalyzed by InCl sub(3). The catalytic system also showed effectiveness to convert other carbohydrates to HMF, including glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch, which demonstrated great potential towards different feedstocks.