An eco-friendly and economical route for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) with atmospheric dioxygen as the sole oxidant under acid-, base-, metal-, and external initiator-free conditions in minimal solvent was reported. In the present reaction, the 1,2-diethoxyethylane has a dual role: reaction medium and free-radical initiator. The FDCA easily crystallizes during the reaction and was simple purified via recrystallization to provide the pure FDCA. (C) 2019 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sci...
