We have developed an effective route for obtaining 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with a yield of 92.6 mol% from the dehydration of fructose in N,N-dimethylformamide using a mixture of AlCl3, H2SO4 and H3PO4 as catalyst. The NMR analysis showed the intermediate formed among fructose, AlCl3 and H3PO4 plays an important role in the novel result.
