Ethyl Lactate → Lauryl Lactate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Novozym® 435 (250-300 g), molecular sieves (2250-2350 g), 1-dodecanol (540-560 mL), and ethyl lactate (1350-1450 mL) were mixed together in a 12″×20″ stainless steel tray (bed depth ˜1.25″). A total of four trays were prepared in parallel, and maintained at 60° C. in a convection oven for 32 hours. After cooling to ambient temperature, the contents of each tray were diluted with petroleum ether, and the enzyme/sieves mixture was removed by vacuum filtration. The combined filtrates were transferred to a 50 L reactor and processed accordingly. Upon work-up, 2024 g of lauryl lactate (78% yield) was obtained as a pale yellow liquid. The purity of the product was >98% as assessed by HPLC-RI.

Provenance & Evidence