| Summary: | Summary: Nature produces ∼170 billion tons of biomass per year; meanwhile, only a small percentage is used. Cellulose is the most abundant component in biomass; thus, the selective transformation of cellulose to high-value-added products is one of the most promising pathways to sustainable society. Here, we report an N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed umpolung of 5-(chloromethyl)furfural, which is easily obtained from cellulose, and its subsequent reaction with ketones is developed, giving the corresponding highly functionalized products in good yields. We believe that this carbene-catalyzed transformation of 5-(chloromethyl)furfural will facilitate the development of biomass transformations.
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