A Density Functional Theory Study of the Mechanism of Direct Glucose Dehydration to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural on Anatase Titania

Guanna Li, Evgeny A. Pidko, Emiel J.M. Hensen*, Kiyotaka Nakajima

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A new mechanism for glucose dehydration to HMF without the intermediate isomerization to fructose is discussed for surface models of anatase TiO2 using periodic density functional theory calculations. Activation of the glucose at glucose's C3-OH position by titania starts the reaction resulting in adsorbed 3-deoxyglucosone. The mechanistic study reveals two possible pathways for the acyclic form of glucose. Comparison of different surface models shows that the presence of tetrahedral Ti4+ species on a defective TiO2(101) anatase surface is essential for explaining the activity. Synergy between a strong Lewis acidic Ti site and a vicinal basic oxygen site of a TiOH group is essential to establish the direct conversion of glucose to HMF. IR spectroscopy of adsorbed chloroform in the presence of water confirms the presence of water tolerant Lewis acid sites in close proximity to basic sites. In conventional glucose dehydration, Lewis acid sites and proton donors act as catalytic sites for efficient sequential isomerization-dehydration to HMF, while direct dehydration to HMF requires the cooperation of Lewis acid-base pairs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4084-4089
Number of pages6
JournalChemCatChem
Volume10
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jul 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • density functional theory
  • glucose dehydration
  • Lewis acid-base pair
  • mechanism
  • titania

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A Density Functional Theory Study of the Mechanism of Direct Glucose Dehydration to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural on Anatase Titania'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this