Study on The Pyrolysis of Seven Monosaccharides

In order to study the pyrolysis behavior of different monosaccharides, pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) technique was used to determine the pyrolysates of seven monosaccharides, including ribose, xylose, fructose, sorbose, galactose, mannose and glucose. The results showed that: 1) Different monosaccharides had similar pyrolysates which could be classified into: furans, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, organic acids, etc. 2) Furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 1,6-anhydro-β-D-glucopyranose, 2,5 - furandicarboxaldehyde and levoglucosenone occupied a higher percentage in pyrolysates of most monosaccharides. 3) Accompanied by aroma compounds, small quantities of harmful compounds were also generated during the pyrolysis of sugars, such as phenol, toluene, etc. 4) Moreover, the reasonable pyrolysis mechanisms of the important pyrolysates of different monosaccharides were discussed according to the classifications of aldopentose, aldohexose and ketohexose respectively.