Efficient Synthesis of Biomass‐Derived N‐Substituted 2‐Hydroxymethyl‐5‐Methyl‐Pyrroles in Two Steps from 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural

Abstract

An efficient two‐step synthesis for the conversion of biomass‐derived 5‐hydroxymethyl‐furfural (HMF) to a variety of N‐substituted 2‐hydroxymethyl‐5‐methylpyrroles was developed. In the first step, 1‐hydroxyhexane‐2,5‐dione (HHD) was obtained by hydrogenation of HMF and thereafter used in a Paal–Knorr reaction with a range of amines in the absence of catalyst at room temperature. The reaction could potentially be used as a click reaction.