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Furfuryl alcohol

Furfuryl alcohol
Structural formula of furfuryl alcohol
Ball-and-stick model of the furfuryl alcohol molecule
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 (Jmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.002.388
PubChem CID
UNII
Properties
C5H6O2
Molar mass 98.10 g/mol
Appearance colorless to amber liquid
Odor burning odor
Density 1.128 g/cm3
Melting point −29 °C (−20 °F; 244 K)
Boiling point 170 °C (338 °F; 443 K)
miscible
Hazards
Safety data sheet External MSDS
NFPA 704
Flammability code 2: Must be moderately heated or exposed to relatively high ambient temperature before ignition can occur. Flash point between 38 and 93 °C (100 and 200 °F). E.g., diesel fuel Health code 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g., chlorine gas Reactivity code 1: Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures. E.g., calcium Special hazards (white): no codeNFPA 704 four-colored diamond
Flash point 65 °C; 149 °F; 338 K
Explosive limits 1.8% - 16.3%
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
397 ppm (mouse, 6 hr)
85 ppm (rat, 6 hr)
592 ppm (rat, 1 hr)
597 ppm (mouse, 6 hr)
US health exposure limits (NIOSH):
PEL (Permissible)
TWA 50 ppm (200 mg/m3)
REL (Recommended)
TWA 10 ppm (40 mg/m3) ST 15 ppm (60 mg/m3) [skin]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
75 ppm
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
YesY  (what is YesYN ?)
Infobox references

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).

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.

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.

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. 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.


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