(375g) Reaction Engineering for Modified Furans

Transformation of biomass to useful chemicals and biomaterials requires explicit selection of reaction pathways from biopolymer, to monomer, and eventually a sequence of steps to chemical products. In this work, we identify a new reaction sequence to convert biomass-derived glucose to furans, followed by furan functionalization to produce an array of derivatized furans. Three furan upgrading reactions are combined in a variety of sequences, and the resulting products are characterized providing a detailed understanding of furan structure-property relationships. Reaction steps are characterized for each catalytic method, and the ultimate process chemistry is evaluated for overall performance with regard to industrial applications.