Effects of cations and anions of ionic liquids on the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose

Ionic liquids (ILs) with different cations and anions were used to study the effects on 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) preparation. It was found that both aggregations of cations and hydrogen bonds of anions with fructose played important roles. Molecular dynamics simulations were also performed to explain the experimental results.