Technologies for Processing of Crude Glycerol from Biodiesel Production: Synthesis of Solketal and Its Hydrolysis to Obtain Pure Glycerol

Information on the volume of production of biodiesel and crude glycerol from it is analyzed. The possibility of using crude glycerol as a feedstock for preparing solketal is demonstrated. The specific features of the solketal synthesis from crude glycerol and of separation of the reaction products are described. A catalytic process is suggested for selective decomposition of solketal to glycerol to obtain purified glycerol of any required concentration up to 99.8 wt %. A flowsheet is suggested for processing of crude glycerol to obtain solketal and subsequently converting it to obtain pure glycerol.     

Entirely solvent-free biocatalytic synthesis of solketal fatty esters from soybean seeds

Solvent-free reactions are the systems of choice in green chemistry. In addition to contributing to lowering the environmental impact of chemical processes, solvent-free systems can reduce production costs, reaction times, and the dimensions of reactors, thereby decreasing investment costs. An improved procedure to prepare 2,2-dimethyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolane (solketal) fatty esters from soybean seeds has been developed. Yields higher than 90% were achieved by combining 15 h of hydrolysis with 6 h of esterification with a stepwise addition of solketal. The synthesis was performed in a solvent-free medium, and the final extraction was accomplished using supercritical CO₂. Hence, we have successfully prepared these esters from soybean beans without using organic solvents. In addition, given the non-toxicity of Rhizopus oryzae and the composition of the remaining solid, it might be used as a raw material for feedstock production.     

Synthesis and characterization of particles consisting of a biodegradable poly(l-lactide) core and a functional hydrophilic shell

Block copolymers consisting of poly(solketal acrylate) and poly(l-lactide) were synthesized by combination of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and ring opening polymerization (ROP) technique. Block copolymerization has been done by two different pathways, simultaneously and sequentially by using a dual functional initiator. Well defined block copolymers were obtained by sequential block copolymerization first implementing ROP of l-lactide followed by ATRP of solketal acrylate. After hydrolysis of the solketal acrylate segments hydrophilic poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl acrylate) blocks were obtained. The amphiphilic block copolymers were able to self-organize in aqueous solution. Aggregation behavior was studied by means of dynamic and static light scattering. Time dependent enzymatic and hydrolytic degradation of the poly(l-lactide) cores was detected by dynamic light scattering. If enzymatic solutions were used the degradation process proceeded faster and was completed within 4000 min.     

Utilization of hexabromoacetone for protection of alcohols and aldehydes and deprotection of acetals,ketals, and oximes under UV irradiation

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Hexabromoacetone (HBA) was efficiently used for the protection of alcohols and aldehydes and deprotection of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal, solketal, and other...     

Kinetics of the Formation of Solketal in the Presence of Sulfuric Acid

The kinetics of reversible solketal synthesis in the presence of sulfuric acid as a catalyst is studied. The parameters of kinetic equations describing direct and reverse reactions are found.     

Skin photosensitization with topical hypericin in hairless mice

Hypericin, a naturally occurring photosensitizer, exhibits interesting in vitro photobiological activities, which suggest that the compound is a potential antipsoriatic agent. In this study, the possibility of hypericin penetrating the skin in photo-active concentrations has been studied. Hypericin is incorporated in either emulsifying ointment supplemented with solketal (hypericin content: 0.05%) or in polyethylene glycol (PEG) ointment (hypericin content: 0.5%) and applied to the skin of hairless mice for 4 h. After removing excess ointment, the mice are then irradiated with different light doses using a 500 W halogen lamp. As a positive control, intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered hypericin (10 and 40 mg/kg) has also been tested. Erythema, desquamation and erosions are demonstrated in the mice treated with hypericin in emulsifying ointment with solketal using a light dose of at least 4.5 J/cm2. In general, these reactions correlate well with those of i.p. administered hypericin (40 mg/kg), indicating that hypericin incorporated in emulsifying ointment with solketal is well absorbed by the skin of the mice. However, for the i.p. administered hypericin (40 mg/kg), we could not evaluate phototoxic reactions in the group of animals that received a light dose of 108 J/cm2, as they all died 12-24 h after irradiation, indicating extreme photosensitization with systemic hypericin at higher light doses. On the contrary, there is no measurable skin photosensitivity induced by hypericin when incorporated in PEG ointment or when 10 mg/kg hypericin is i.p. administered. Our results show that hypericin incorporated in a suitable vehicle can be delivered to the skin in photo-active concentrations. Using a vehicle such as emulsifying ointment with solketal, it will be possible to explore the photo-activity of hypericin in the treatment of psoriasis and other skin diseases.     

Easy and Fast Production of Solketal from Glycerol Acetalization via Heteropolyacids

This work presents an effective and fast procedure to valorize the main waste produced from the biodiesel industry, i.e., the glycerol. The acetalization of glycerol with acetone represents an effective strategy to produce the valuable solketal, a fuel additive component. In this work, the catalytic efficiency of different commercial heteropolyacids (HPAas) was compared under a solvent-free system. The HPAs used were H₃[PW₁₂O₄₀] (PW₁₂), H₃[PMo₁₂O₄₀] (PMo₁₂) and H₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] (SiW₁₂). The influence of reactional parameters such as reactants stoichiometry, catalyst concentration and reaction temperature were investigated in order to optimize experimental conditions to increase cost-efficiency and sustainability. HPAs demonstrated to be highly efficient for this type of reaction, presenting a high and fast glycerol conversion, with high selectivity to solketal under sustainable conditions (solvent-free system and room temperature medium). The activity of HPAs using 3% to glycerol weight and a glycerol/acetone ratio of 1:15 followed the order: PW₁₂ (99.2%) > PMo₁₂ (91.4%) > SiW₁₂ (90.7%) as a result of the strong acidic sites after 5 min. In fact, only 5 min of reaction were needed to achieve 97% of solketal product in the presence of the PW₁₂ as a catalyst. This last system presents an effective, selective and sustainable catalytic system to valorize glycerol.     

A flexible route to new spirodioxanes, oxathianes, and morpholines

This work describes a modular efficient route to 10-aza-4-thia-, 10-aza-4-oxa-, and 10-oxa-4-thia-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecanes. The synthetic pathway relies upon the iterative nucleophilic substitution of 1,3-dichloropropan-2-one O-benzyloxime by solketal derivatives. The oxime key-intermediates, submitted to an acidic deprotection-spiroacetalization process, afforded these original spiroketal compounds in three steps, few purifications, and very good yields.     

Synthetic studies towards 4,10-diaza-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecanes: access to 3-aza-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-one and 2H-1,4-oxazin-3(4H)-one frameworks

Synthetic approaches towards 4,10-diaza-1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecanes starting from 1,3-dichloroacetone and solketal derivatives are explored. The method relies on the preparation of a key bis-substituted dihydroxy-protected oxime, which would undergo a final acidic deprotection-spiroacetalization process. Although the desired diazaspiroketal framework could not be obtained, our conditions led to the unexpected 3-aza-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-one 18 or to the oxazinone 32 in good yields.     

Comparative studies of photophysical and photochemical properties of solketal substituted platinum(II) and zinc(II) phthalocyanine sets

A complete set of platinum(II) solketal substituted phthalocyanines has been synthesized and characterized. To evaluate their potential as Type II photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, comparative studies of their photophysical and photochemical properties with analogous zinc(II) series have been achieved: electronic absorption, fluorescence quantum yields, lifetimes, and fluorescence quenching by benzoquinone, as well as singlet oxygen generation and photodegradation. It appears that platinum(II) phthalocyanines are worth being used as Type II photosensitizers, as they exhibit good singlet oxygen generation and appropriate photodegradation.     

(±)-6,7-丙酮缩二醇-3-酮-庚酸乙酯合成研究

用对甲苯磺酸-2,3-丙酮缩甘油酯(2)与乙酰乙酸乙酯盐、碳酸二乙酯反应, 制备β-酮酯类衍生物1. 以(±)-1,2-丙酮缩甘油为起始物, 经对甲苯磺酰化、亲核取代、脱羧等反应, 方便、高产率地合成了6,7-丙酮缩二醇-3-酮-庚酸乙酯(1). 试图通过对甲苯磺酸-2,3-丙酮缩甘油酯(2)和乙酰乙酸乙酯双阴离子反应制备6,7-丙酮缩二醇-3-酮-庚酸乙酯(1)未获成功. 所合成的化合物经元素分析, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR和MS光谱表征.     

Graft copolymerization of hydroxyethyl cellulose with solketal acrylate: Preparation and characterization for moisture absorption application

In this work, we reported the preparation of a novel biomaterial, by graft-polymerization of 2-2-dimethyl-1-3-dioxolan-4-yl methyl acrylate (solketalacrylate, DMDMA) on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) using KPS as initiator. Several experiments were performed to found the optimum conditions for the preparation of this biopolymer, by varying the time of the reaction as well as the initiator and the monomer ratio. Results showed that the highest grafting yield was 25%, obtained after 72?minutes at 65?°C, using THF as solvent. The structure of the grafted copolymer was confirmed by X-ray diffraction patterns which showed, besides the characteristic peaks of HEC at 2θ?=?31.74° and 44.63° a new peak at 2θ?=?30.72° related to an organized structure of the grafted polymer on the HEC backbone. The DSC analysis showed a single glass transition temperature Tg, intermediate between the corresponding values for HEC and neat poly(solketal acrylate). Moreover, the grafted biomaterial presented two-fold more moisture absorption ability by comparison with HEC, making this new synthetic biomaterial highly promising for dryness applications. In our knowledge, the synthesized monomer: 2-2-dimethyl-1-3-dioxolan-4-yl methyl acrylate, (solketal acrylate, DMDMA), has never been grafted on the HEC backbones before that is what makes the novelty of the present work.     

Synthesis of Y-shaped poly(solketal acrylate)-containing block copolymers and study on the thermoresponsive behavior for micellar aggregates

One novel type of Y-shaped amphiphilic copolymers with two hydrophobic poly(solketal acrylate) (PSA) branches and one hydrophilic monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) block was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These Y-shaped polymers can disperse in aqueous media to self-assemble into micellar aggregates with a spherical core-shell structure. The aqueous copolymer solutions exhibited transmittancy transition in the temperature range of 30-60 °C via optical transmittance measurements. An interesting thermo-dependent size of the micellar aggregates was observed by dynamic light scattering techniques and transmission electron microscopy, which showed that the micelle diameters were decreased with temperature increasing. The nile red release from the micelles at 25 °C and 37 °C under various pHs showed that temperature has great influence on release behavior. With good biocompatibility, the micellar aggregates formed from MPEG-block-(PSA)(2) may serve as one promising thermosensitive nanovehicle for targeted drug delivery.     

Practical enantiospecific syntheses of lysobisphosphatidic acid and its analogues

We describe a versatile, efficient, and practical method for the preparation of enantiomerically pure lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), bisether analogues, and phosphorothioate analogues of LBPA from solketal. Phosphorylation of a protected sn-2-O-oleoyl glycerol with 2-cyanoethyl bis(N,N-diisopropylamino)phosphite, followed by oxidation and deprotection, generated the enantiomers of 2,2'-LBPA. The corresponding phosphorothioate analogues were obtained by oxidation with sulfur. The (R,R) and (S,S) enantiomers of both LBPA and phosphorothioate LBPA were synthesized from (S)- and (R)-solketal, respectively. The ether analogue of (S,S)-lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA) and its enantiomer were synthesized from the same enantiomer (S)-solketal by simply changing the sequence of deprotection steps.     

Microbial enzymes mined from the Urania deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basin

We created a metagenome expression library from the brine:seawater interface of the Urania hypersaline basin, screened it for esterases, and characterized five of these. Two had no significant sequence homology to known esterases, hydrolyzed both carboxylesters and thioesters, and exhibited unusual, habitat-specific characteristics (preference for high hydrostatic pressure and salinity). One has an unusual structural signature incorporating three catalytic active centers mediating distinct hydrolytic activities and an adaptive tertiary-quaternary structure that alters between three molecular states, according to the prevailing physicochemical conditions. Some of the esterases have high activities, specificities, enantioselectivities, and exceptional stability in polar solvents, and they are therefore potentially useful for industrial biotransformations. One possesses the highest enantioselectivity toward an ester of the important chiral synthon solketal (E: 126[S]; 98%ee).     

Facile synthesis of plasmalogens via Barbier-type reactions of vinyl dioxanes and vinyl dioxolanes with alkyl halides in LiDBB solution

Plasmalogens (i.e. plasmenylcholines or plasmenylethanolamines) are a biologically important class of glycerophospholipids that have been difficult to synthesize due to the presence of an acid and oxidatively labile (Z)-vinyl ether substituent at the sn-1 position and a base-labile sn-2 acyl substituent that easily migrates during silica gel purification. We report two facile synthetic methods for the preparation of racemic plasmenylcholines via a tandem reductive vinyl dioxane/dioxolane ring opening and alkyliodide coupling process that proceeds in a single pot reaction. The key step in the formation of (Z)-vinyl ether precursors for the production of plasmenylcholines is accomplished using LiDBB under Barbier-type conditions to give the corresponding TBDMS-protected 1-O-Z'-vinylglycerol intermediate in moderate yields. This pathway is the most direct synthetic route for the formation of plasmenylcholines to date, requiring a total of six transformations from acrolein and glycerol or solketal as inexpensive starting materials, to generate glycerophosphocholine-type plasmalogens in 4% overall yield.     

Synthesis and properties of amphiphilic vinyl acetate triblock copolymers prepared by copper mediated living radical polymerisation

Polymerisation of vinyl acetate by conventional free radical polymerisation using a diazo initiator followed by copper mediated living radical polymerisation with a range of monomers was studied. This method led to the synthesis of triblock copolymers. We have thus successfully prepared several new ABA triblock copolymers where B is poly(vinyl acetate) and A is (dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), (polyethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MeO(PEG)MA) or solketal methacrylate (SMA). The sequential conventional/living radical polymerisation approach provided an efficient route to synthesis of new block copolymers. The properties of these amphiphilic polymers have been subsequently investigated by ¹H NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy, tensiometry and dynamic light scattering to investigate their behaviour as potential surfactants.     

Highly enantioselective kinetic resolution of primary alcohols of the type Ph-X-CH(CH3)-CH2OH by Pseudomonas cepacia lipase: effect of acyl chain length and solvent

Although lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia (PCL) shows high enantioselectivity towards many secondary alcohols, it usually exhibits only low to moderate enantioselectivity towards primary alcohols. To increase this enantioselectivity, we optimised the reaction conditions for the PCL-catalysed hydrolysis of esters of three chiral primary alcohols: 2-methyl-3-phenyl-1-propanol 1, 2-phenoxy-1-propanol 2 and solketal 3. The enantioselectivity towards 1-acetate increased from E=16 to 38 upon changing the solvent from ethyl ether/phosphate buffer to 30% n-propanol in phosphate buffer and increased again to E ≥190 upon changing the substrate from 1-acetate to 1-heptanoate. The same changes increased the enantioselectivity towards alcohol 2 from E=17 to 70, but did not significantly increase the enantioselectivity towards alcohol 3. The best solvent was similar to the solvent used to crystallise the open form of PCL and likely stabilises the open form of PCL. This stabilisation may increase the enantioselectivity by removing kinetic contributions from a non-enantioselective lid-opening step. We determined the kinetic contribution of the lid-opening step by measuring the interfacial activation of PCL. The activation energy for the PCL-catalysed hydrolysis of ethyl acetate was at least 2.6 kcal/mol lower in the presence of a water–organic solvent interface.     

Synthesis and characterization of random copolymers of (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl methacrylate and 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate

Poly[(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl methacrylate)] [poly(solketal methacrylate) (PSMA)] was synthesized by free radical polymerization. By partial hydrolysis of the acetal group, random copolymers of SMA with 2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate (DHPMA) were synthesized whereas complete cleavage lead to poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PDHPMA). The copolymer composition was determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. FTIR spectroscopy indicates the synthesis of random copolymers with different degrees of hydrogen bonding as measured by a shift of the OH vibration bands. The glass transition temperature of the random copolymers increases linearly with increasing DHPMA content, resulting in a positive deviation from the Fox equation. The thermal degradation of both homopolymers and their random copolymers has been studied. Finally, the solution behaviour of the copolymers and PDHPMA in water studied by dynamic light scattering showed a strong tendency of the polymer chains to form clusters in the size range of 15-62 nm. The size and the kind of associating interactions within the clusters strongly depend on the copolymer composition.