Effective Synthesis of 5-Amino-1-pentanol via Selective Hydrogenolysis of Biomass-Derived Furfurylamine on Supported Platinum Catalysts at Ambient Temperature

5-Amino-1-pentanol (APO) is an important nitrogen-containing chemical with versatile applications. However, its synthesis is still not efficient. Here, we report the synthesis of APO from biomass-derived furfurylamine (FAM) via the direct cleavage of its α–C–O bond neighboring the −CH2NH2 group at ambient temperature. Pt/TiO2 catalysts exhibited high efficiency and stability in the FAM hydrogenolysis to APO, affording a high yield of 85.4% at 30 °C and 2.0 MPa of H2 in water. The high efficiency of Pt/TiO2 was found to be related to its superior activity for the cleavage of the α–C–O bond in FAM, relative to the hydrogenation of the furan ring on the corner and edge sites of the Pt surfaces. This work provides a viable approach for the precise cleavage of the α–C–O bond neighboring the −CH2NH2 group in the furan ring under mild conditions toward the efficient production of APO and its derivatives.