Brønsted acid-driven conversion of glucose to xylose, arabinose and formic acid via selective C–C cleavage

Abstract The efficient production of xylose and arabinose from glucose, is significant but technologically challenging. Herein, the conversion of glucose to pentose (xylose and arabinose) and formic acid was realized using non-toxic artificial zeolite and green solvent of γ-butyrolactone-H2O. The selective conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, pentose and furfural could be regulated by controlling Bronsted acid strength. The weak Bronsted acid could promote the formation of pentose, while strong Bronsted acid could lead to the formation of HMF and further degradation of pentose to furfural. The mechanism was investigated spectroscopically to add fundamental insights to the selective C1-C2 bond cleavage. The solvent of γ-butyrolactone-H2O reduced apparent activation energy by promoting the formation of active d -fructofuranose. The favorable yield reached to 54.3 % pentose and 54.7 % formic acid from glucose, while 95.6 % pentose and 96.8 % formic acid from fructose at 453 K for 1.5 h. This strategy offered a new utilization way of glucose in expanding the varieties of platform chemicals.