Biorefinery via Achmatowicz Rearrangement: Synthesis of Pentane-1,2,5-triol from Furfuryl Alcohol.

A new scalable synthesis of pentane-1,2,5-triol from the furanics platform has been developed. Excellent yields of up to 92 % are obtained under flow conditions by using readily available catalysts from the existing pool. The strategy exploits the highly functionalized Achmatowicz product as a key intermediate, thus circumventing problems related to the low reactivity of the parent furfural and furfuryl alcohol. Besides expanding the portfolio of biomass-derived C5 alcohols, this strategy may also be further applied for the establishment of a versatile bio-based chemical platform.