Direct Production of Furfural from Fructose Catalyzed by Iron(III) Sulfate Using a Simple Distillation Apparatus

We report a new, simple, and efficient procedure for the direct production of furfural from fructose using Fe2(SO4)3·xH2O through the distillation of the product under atmospheric pressure. The reaction is solvent-free; the only reagents used are fructose and catalyst, which is used in 40% molar quantity. The optimal reaction temperature is 170 °C. With the optimized reaction conditions, fructose conversion is 92% after 90 min with a furfural selectivity of 85%. The only byproducts are water and formaldehyde. Furfural can be extracted in ethyl acetate, while formaldehyde is collected at the end of the apparatus in water. This methodology offers a new opportunity to synthesize furfural using nontoxic reagents with a simple and safe apparatus.