Talk:Furfural

==what is the role of furfural in the furfural test?

174.24.233.223 (talk) 02:07, 16 October 2010 (UTC)

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Clarification of colour
"upon exposure to air it quickly becomes yellow" The Dutch version states; "Ze wordt rood-bruin bij blootstelling aan de lucht" (Red-Brown to exposure to air)

Which one is it?

Scubafish (talk) 10:05, 4 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Under influence of oxygen (acting as radical initiator) furfural polymerizes. Due to this process the amount of conjugated double bonds increases. This is the reason for the discolouration. According to Zeitsch (Chapter 8) it turns from yellow to brown to black. Personally I observed a red-brown (deep orange) stage in between. Interesting to note is that commercial furfural (98%) is completely black. And the colour can already be observed at a concentration of 10^-5 M. Nevertheless furfural itself is colourless.Carnelain (talk) 14:22, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

US Department of Labor website


"1. Effects on Animals: Furfural is an irritant of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and respiratory tract. It is a toxin to the central nervous system, liver, kidney, blood, and bone marrow. The oral LD(50) in rats is 65 mg/kg; and the inhalation LD(50) in rats is 260 ppm [NIOSH 1991]. Exposure of rats to furfural by ingestion or subcutaneous injection caused unsteadiness, paralysis, seizures, coma, and changes in liver, kidneys, blood, and bone marrow [Hathaway et al. 1991]. Cats exposed to 2,800 ppm for 30 minutes developed fatal pulmonary edema [Hathaway et al. 1991]. Solutions to 10 percent and 100 percent furfural instilled in rabbits' eyes caused pain in addition to transient swelling and redness of the lids and conjunctiva [Grant 1986]. Chronic dietary exposure to furfural caused liver cirrhosis in rats [NLM 1992]. Dogs exposed at 130 ppm for 6 hours a day for 4 weeks developed liver damage, but dogs exposed at 63 ppm did not [ACGIH 1991]. Rabbits exposed to furfural vapors for several hours daily developed liver and kidney lesions as well as changes in their blood profiles [Parmeggiani 1983]. Furfural is mutagenic in at least one bacterial species [NIOSH 1991].

2. Effects on Humans: Furfural is an irritant of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and respiratory tract. Concentrations of 1.9 to 14 ppm produced headache, itching of the throat, and redness and tearing of the eyes in some exposed workers [ACGIH 1991; Grant 1986]. Workers exposed to furfural vapors in a plant with inadequate ventilation reported numbness of the tongue and mucous membranes of the mouth, loss of taste sensation, and difficulty in breathing [ACGIH 1991]. Exposure to high concentrations has produced pulmonary edema [Parmeggiani 1983]. Damage to the eyesight of some individuals has also been reported [ACGIH 1991]. Chronic skin exposure may produce eczema, allergic skin sensitization, and photosensitization [Sittig 1991]. Furfural may cause a disulfiram-type reaction; that is, a worker exposed to furfural who has consumed alcohol may experience warmth and redness of the fact, a throbbing sensation and pain in the head and neck, difficulty in breathing, nausea, vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, uneasiness, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and confusion. This effect may last from 30 minutes to several hours but does not appear to have residual side effects. By analogy with effects seen in animals, furfural may affect the central nervous system, liver, kidneys, blood, and bone marrow of humans; however, these effects have not been reported in exposed workers."

-- Silversmith Hewwo 01:19, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Unused references
The following were listed in the references section, but they were apparently unused. I'm moving them here in case they can be used to improve the article. -- Ed (Edgar181) 16:08, 24 June 2011 (UTC)
 * p.k.n.panicker, Furfural and Other Furan Compounds, Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing & Design -Vol.24, Marcel Deckker Inc., Edtd. J.J.McKetta.
 * p.k.n.panicker. Pilot Plant Studies on Manufacture of Furfural from Cane Bagasse, Chem.Age of India, Vol.30.No.8, August 1979. p.733

First observation
I found this reference which states furfural was first observer in 1821. I don't (unfortunately) access to the article in the reference. Could somebody verify this and let me know (or send me the pdf ;) ) Carnelain (talk) 14:32, 20 January 2012 (UTC)


 * This is a exert from The Furans by Dunlop and Peeters. If anybody feels like correcting the page be my guest. Currently I do not have the time. Carnelain (talk) 09:53, 23 January 2012 (UTC)
 * "In 1832, Dobereiner1 reported the isolation of a few drops uf a yellow oil from the milky distillate obtained incident to the preparation of formic acid from sugar by the action of ma,nganese dioxide and sulfuric acid. The quantity of this oil, later to be called furfural, was too small for characterization, and Dobereiner assigned to it the fanciful na,me of "artificial oil of ants." While 1832 has usually been considered to mark the discovery of furfural, it appears that Dohereiner fir:st obtained it approximately eleven yean; prior to his published report. Thm;, in 1849, he states2 that the "oil" was noted 28 years previously. In confirmation is a remark by his contemporary, Stenhouse, who in 1850 wrote, "Nearly 30 years ago, Dobereiner fir:;t observed ... " 3 The agreement between these two l'!tatements must be accepted as establishing the year 1821 as the birth-year of furfural."

One of the oldest renewable chemicals?
This seems to me to be a rather broad ranging and meaningless or incorrect statement. Until the exploitation of minerals became significant in the industrial revolution, almost everything was derived from bio sources and therefore renewable.

Natural gums, waxes, fats, rubber, shellac and similar compounds, which are all chemicals of various complexities, have been in use since the stone age. I suggest it is changed to make the meaning more explicit.

Water is a renewable chemical, etc... Lkingscott (talk) 10:31, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Good point. Maybe one should say 'organic." Regarding "Natural gums, waxes, fats, rubber, shellac and similar compounds..." those are complex mixtures with variable contents.  All kinds of goop like that around, but pure compounds.  Maybe cellulose. --Smokefoot (talk) 13:55, 25 February 2023 (UTC)