D-Fructose

Zirconium Chloride

Nitromethane

Solution containing D-Fructose (1 g, 5.55mmol) in nitromethane (10mL) was charged into a 50 mL flask, followed by the addition of ZrCl₄ (0.129 g, 0.55mmol).The mixture was then  heated at 100⁰C for 3 h, while stirred with a magnetic stirrer. Reaction mixture was cooled to rt and evaporated under reduced pressure to get crude mass, which was diluted with water (25 mL) and extracted with ethyl acetate (50 mL×4).After drying on Na₂SO₄ extracts were concentrated on rotatory evaporator. Purification by column chromatography (80-20% ethyl acetate in petroleum ether as eluent) to gave 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (0.52g, yellow oil, yield:73%).

For time and temp optimization see ref.
Guard tube with fresh anhydrous calcium chloride was placed over water condenser.

¹H NMR (200 MHz, CDCl₃):4.12 (bs, 1H), 4.66 (s, 2H), 6.49 (d, J=4Hz, 1H), 7.21 (d, J=4Hz, 1H), 9.49 (s, 1H).

R. S. Thombal, V. H. Jadhav, Biofuel. Res. J., 2014, 3, 81-84