Sustainable synthesis of nitrogen-rich aromatics from chitin: Opportunities and challenges

The landscape of chemical production has undergone a paradigm shift towards sustainability, emphasizing catalytic procedures, renewable raw materials, and green chemistry principles. Chitin, the second most abundant global biomass, offers opportunities for synthesizing nitrogen-rich aromatics, crucial for reducing the reliance on energy-intensive nitrogen sources like ammonia. This review outlines the most recent advances in methodologies for preparing nitrogen-rich furans, focusing on 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran (3A5AF), dihydroxyethyl acetamidofuran (diHAF), 3-acetamido-5-formylfuran (3A5FF), and 3-acetamidofuran (3AF) from N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) dehydration. In addition, the review encompasses other aromatic commodities currently obtained from chitin, either by derivatization of the aforementioned furans, by deacetylation-dimerization, or other strategies. Although challenges in scaling up, product stability, and low yields persist, these furans hold promise as sustainable synthons, driving innovations in chemical synthesis.