To study the effect of adjacent hydroxyl to the active sites,several acid catalysts,i.e.substituted benzoic acids with adjacent carboxyl are employed in the fructose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF).Experimental results reveal that Brφnsted acid sites with adjacent carboxyl present higher catalytic ability than isolated ones.Computational results suggest that the adjacent sites lead to co-interaction on fructose,corresponding more stable transition state and faster HMF formation rate.Based on the enhancement from the adjacent sites,a novel ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) full of carboxyls in surface is prepared and turns out to be an effective solid catalyst for HMF production from fructose derived from biomass.