Citric Acid → Itaconic acid

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

The process of WO2010/059925 was reworked as follows (derived from Examples 1 and 12): 20 grams of glycerol reagent grade and 40 grams of citric acid monohydrate were mixed The mixture was brought under nitrogen to a temperature of 140° C. while stirring, and kept under nitrogen at that temperature for a period of one hour. The resulting prepolymer was heated to 204° C. for a period of one hour. Uncontrollable foaming took place resulting in an inhomogeneous foam. The material discolored to yellow and had poor mechanical properties. Combustion analysis showed a carbon content of 43.76% and a hydrogen content of 5.56%, showing that about 5-10% of the citric acid decarboxylated to form itaconic acid.

Provenance & Evidence