12/12/2025
Delighted to share our third JACS paper of the year. In this work, we demonstrate that simple water microdroplets can drive the rapid dehydration of sugars. At the air–water interface, we observe an unexpectedly accelerated and extreme dehydration pathway, transforming sugar into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) — a key platform molecule for biofuels, bioplastics, and pharmaceutical precursors.
Our findings highlight how interfacial microenvironments can fundamentally reshape reaction energetics, opening new opportunities for green chemical synthesis using nothing more than water and ambient conditions. So, even today, in the smallest droplets, we can glimpse the creative chemistry of early Earth, where simple ingredients and dynamic interfaces could sculpt surprising molecular transformations. In this way, water microdroplets becomes both a window to our past and a tool for greener chemistry in our future.
Sprayed water microdroplets act as open-air microreactors, unlocking reaction pathways that are often inaccessible in bulk solution. Here, we present that aerosolizing aqueous solutions of reducing sugars (d-glucose and l-fructose) spontaneously yield 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a versatile platf...
