Catalytic conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using zirconium-containing metal–organic frameworks using microwave heating

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) can be prepared by the catalytic dehydration of glucose or fructose using a range of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts. For our research, a selection of closely related Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) were used as catalysts in the conversion of glucose to 5-HMF due to their chemical and thermal stability as well as the Lewis acidity of zirconium. Our initial study focused on the use of UiO-66-X (X = H, NH2 and SO3H), optimization of the dehydration reaction conditions, and correlation of the catalytic activity with the MOF's properties, in particular, their surface area. The highest yield of 5-HMF (28%) could be obtained using UiO-66 under optimal reaction conditions in dimethylsulfoxide and this could be increased to 37% in the presence of water. In catalyst recycling tests, we found the efficiency of UiO-66 was maintained across five runs (23%, 19%, 21%, 20%, 22.5%). The post-catalysis MOF, UiO-66-humin, was characterized using a range of techniques including PXRD, FT-IR, 13C Solid State NMR and N2 gas adsorption. We continued to optimize the reaction using MOF 808 as the catalyst. Notably, MOF 808 afforded higher yields of 5-HMF under the same conditions compared with the three UiO-66-X compounds. We propose that this might be attributed to the larger pores of MOF 808 or the more accessible zirconium centres.