Furfuryl alcohol
Names | |
---|---|
Preferred IUPAC name
(Furan-2-yl)methanol | |
Other names
Furan-2-ylmethanol
Furfuryl alcohol 2-Furanmethanol 2-Furancarbinol 2-(Hydroxymethyl)furan | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
|
|
ChEBI | |
ChEMBL | |
ChemSpider | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.002.388 |
PubChem CID
|
|
UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
|
|
| |
| |
Properties | |
C5H6O2 | |
Molar mass | 98.10 g/mol |
Appearance | colorless to amber liquid[2] |
Odor | burning odor[2] |
Density | 1.128 g/cm3 |
Melting point | −29 °C (−20 °F; 244 K) |
Boiling point | 170 °C (338 °F; 443 K) |
miscible | |
Hazards | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Flash point | 65 °C; 149 °F; 338 K [2] |
Explosive limits | 1.8% - 16.3%[2] |
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LC50 (median concentration)
|
397 ppm (mouse, 6 hr) 85 ppm (rat, 6 hr) 592 ppm (rat, 1 hr)[3] |
LCLo (lowest published)
|
597 ppm (mouse, 6 hr)[3] |
NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |
PEL (Permissible)
|
TWA 50 ppm (200 mg/m3)[2] |
REL (Recommended)
|
TWA 10 ppm (40 mg/m3) ST 15 ppm (60 mg/m3) [skin][2] |
IDLH (Immediate danger)
|
75 ppm[2] |
Safety data sheet (SDS) | External MSDS |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
|
Furfuryl alcohol, also called 2-furylmethanol or 2-furancarbinol, is an organic compound containing a furan substituted with a hydroxymethyl group. It is a clear colorless liquid when pure, but becomes amber colored upon prolonged standing. It possesses a faint odor of burning and a bitter taste. It is miscible with but unstable in water. It is soluble in common organic solvents. Upon treatment with acids, heat and/or catalysts, furfuryl alcohol can be made to polymerize into a resin, poly(furfuryl alcohol).
Synthesis
Furfuryl alcohol is manufactured industrially from furfural; which is itself typically produced from waste bio-mass such as corncobs or sugar cane bagasse. As such furfuryl alcohol may be considered a green chemical. It is produced either by the direct reduction of furfural, or by its disproportionation via the Cannizaro reaction in an aqueous NaOH solution; this latter route also produces furoic acid.[4]
Applications
Plastics
The primary use of furfuryl alcohol is as a monomer for the synthesis of furan resins. These are used in thermoset polymer matrix composites, cements, adhesives, coatings and casting/foundry resins. Synthesis involves acid-catalyzed polycondensation, usually giving a black cross-linked product. A simplified example is shown below but the actual reaction mechanism is known to be exceedingly complex.[5]
Other uses
Furfuryl alcohol has been used in rocketry as a fuel which ignites hypergolically (immediately and energetically in contact) with white fuming nitric acid or red fuming nitric acid oxidizer.[6] The use of hypergolics avoids the need for an igniter. In late 2012, Spectra, a concept liquid rocket engine using white fuming nitric acid as the oxidizer to furfuryl alcohol fuel was static tested by Copenhagen Suborbitals.[7][8]
Because of its low molecular weight, furfuryl alcohol can impregnate the cells of wood, where it can be polymerized and bonded with the wood by heat, radiation, and/or catalysts or additional reactants. The treated wood has improved moisture-dimensional stability, hardness, and decay and insect resistance; catalysts can include zinc chloride, citric or formic acid, or borates.[9][10]
See also
- Furfurylamine - corresponding amine
- 2-Furonitrile - corresponding nitrile
- Furan-2-ylmethanethiol - corresponding thiol
- 2-Furoic acid - corresponding carboxylic acid
References
- ^ Merck Index, 11th Edition, 4215.
- ^ a b c d e f g NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0298". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- ^ a b "Furfuryl alcohol". Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- ^ Mariscal, R.; Maireles-Torres, P.; Ojeda, M.; Sádaba, I.; López Granados, M. (2016). "Furfural: a renewable and versatile platform molecule for the synthesis of chemicals and fuels". Energy Environ. Sci. 9 (4): 1144–1189. doi:10.1039/C5EE02666K. ISSN 1754-5692.
- ^ Choura, Mekki; Belgacem, Naceur M.; Gandini, Alessandro (January 1996). "Acid-Catalyzed Polycondensation of Furfuryl Alcohol: Mechanisms of Chromophore Formation and Cross-Linking". Macromolecules. 29 (11): 3839–3850. doi:10.1021/ma951522f.
- ^ MUNJAL, N. L. (May 1970). "Ignition catalysts for furfuryl alcohol - Red fuming nitric acid bipropellant". AIAA Journal. 8 (5): 980–981. doi:10.2514/3.5816.
- ^ Madsen, Peter. "Spectra-testen". Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ http://copenhagensuborbitals.com/public/spectra.pdf The Spectra engine test report pdf
- ^ Alfred J., Stamm (1977). "Chapter 9". Wood Technology: Chemical Aspects. Washington: American Chemical Society. pp. 141–149. ISBN 9780841203730.
- ^ Baysal, Ergun; Ozaki, S.Kiyoka; Yalinkilic, MustafaKemal (21 August 2004). "Dimensional stabilization of wood treated with furfuryl alcohol catalysed by borates". Wood Science and Technology. doi:10.1007/s00226-004-0248-2.