Synthesis of anti-inflammatory furan fatty acids from biomass-derived 5-(chloromethyl)furfural

An efficient synthetic approach to furan fatty acids starting from the biomass-derived platform chemical 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) is described. The route involves seven steps and has a 60% overall yield. Furan fatty acids are dietary antioxidants that occur naturally in fish and are proposed to have anti-atherosclerotic properties. The free radical scavenging abilities of synthetic furan fatty acids were evaluated against butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay.