Preparation of Furan Fatty Acids from 5-(Chloromethyl) Furfural

Abstract

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a novel, efficient route to a new class of dietary supplements with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and possible cardioprotective properties.

Full Description

Furan fatty acids (FFAs) have been chemically synthesized from the biomass-derived platform chemical 5 (chloromethyl)furfural (CMF). FFAs are a family of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory products which are proposed to have cardioprotective properties. Both in vitro and in vivo tests indicated that these molecules are potent antioxidants owing to their radical scavenging abilities. Due to the low natural abundance and harsh conditions involved in the isolation of FFAs, a number of synthetic approaches have been published. However, most of these are not industrially viable because of either lengthy routes, low yields, or costly procedures.

Researchers at the University of California Davis have developed a concise, efficient synthesis of FFAs from biomass-derived CMF with an overall 52% yield. The method, which uses CMF, features industrially relevant, high-yielding reactions and short reaction times in each step of synthesis. This methodology can be expanded to include natural FFAs with different chain lengths.

Applications

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Patent Status

Additional Patent Pending