Furfural, which is the same substance as sugar aldehydes, is a derivative of furan with the hydrogen atom at position 2 replaced by an aldehyde group. Its system name is alpha furfural. The appearance is a colorless transparent oily liquid with a special odor similar to benzaldehyde. The color quickly turns reddish brown when exposed to light and air. Easy to evaporate together with steam.
The molecular formula is C5H4O2 or C4H3OCHO. It was originally made by co heating rice bran with dilute acid, so it is called furfural. Furfural is hydrolyzed from pentosan by acid to produce pentose, which is then dehydrated and cyclized. The main raw materials for production are agricultural and sideline products such as corn cobs. There are various methods of synthesis. Furfural is one of the most important derivatives of the furan ring system, with active chemical properties. It can be synthesized into numerous derivatives through reactions such as oxidation and condensation, and is widely used in the synthesis of plastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other industries.
On October 27, 2017, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization released a preliminary list of carcinogens, and furfural was included in the three categories of carcinogens.
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