Carbohydrate materials, oxidation

Table II. Oxidation of Carbohydrate Materials with Potassium Dichromate in Sulfuric Acid at 125°C...

Periodate Oxidation Analysis of Carbohydrates. XIII. Simultaneous Gas Chromatographic Determination of the Aldehydes in the Periodate Oxidation Products of Non-dialyz-able Urinary Carbohydrate Materials as Diethyl Dithioacetals J. Chromatogr. 164(1) 9-16 (1979) ... 

Wet Combustions. Hot acid solutions of chromic acid and of ceric sulfate oxidize carbohydrate materials to carbon dioxide, formic acid, and formaldehyde. The quantity of oxidant consumed constitutes a fairly precise measure of the amount of carbohydrate present 258). 

Nitric acid oxidation is used where carbohydrates, ethylene glycol, and propylene are the starting materials. The diaLkyl oxalate process is the newest, where diaLkyl oxalate is synthesized from carbon monoxide and alcohol, then hydrolyzed to oxahc acid. This process has been developed by UBE Industries in Japan as a CO coupling technology in the course of exploring C-1 chemistry. 

Oxidation of Carbohydrates. Oxahc acid is prepared by the oxidation of carbohydrates (7—9), such as glucose, sucrose, starch, dextrin, molasses, etc, with nitric acid (qv). The choice of the carbohydrate raw material depends on availabihty, economics, and process operating characteristics. Among the various raw materials considered, com starch (or starch in general) and sugar are the most commonly available. Eor example, tapioka starch is the Brazihan raw material, and sugar is used in India. 

Oxahc acid manufacture via the oxidation of carbohydrates is stiU actively pursued, especially in China (10—12). In India, processes which produce sihca and oxahc acid have been developed (13,14). The raw materials include agricultural wastes, such as rice husks, nut shell flour, com cobs, baggase, straw, etc. 

Other Processes. Isopropyl alcohol can be prepared by the Hquid-phase oxidation of propane (118). It is produced iacidentaHy by the reductive condensation of acetone, and is pardy recovered from fermentation (119). Large-scale commercial biological production of isopropyl alcohol from carbohydrate raw materials has also been studied (120—123). 

Physiological Role of Citric Acid. Citric acid occurs ia the terminal oxidative metabolic system of virtually all organisms. This oxidative metabohc system (Fig. 2), variously called the Krebs cycle (for its discoverer, H. A. Krebs), the tricarboxyUc acid cycle, or the citric acid cycle, is a metaboHc cycle involving the conversion of carbohydrates, fats, or proteins to carbon dioxide and water. This cycle releases energy necessary for an organism s growth, movement, luminescence, chemosynthesis, and reproduction. The cycle also provides the carbon-containing materials from which cells synthesize amino acids and fats. Many yeasts, molds, and bacteria conduct the citric acid cycle, and can be selected for thek abiUty to maximize citric acid production in the process. This is the basis for the efficient commercial fermentation processes used today to produce citric acid. 

Oxidation is a widely used procedure in carbohydrate chemistry, mainly to access sugars that contain a carbonyl function to serve as valuable intermediates for a variety of derivatizations. Many procedures have been developed, employing either chemical or biochemical methodologies.14 148 While most of these methodologies rely on homogeneous catalysis, the use of heterogeneous catalysts has proved to be a feasible alternative.123c However, the utilization of catalysts based on silicon porous materials for the oxidation of carbohydrates is still a field to be further explored. 

But why do they bum wood, say, when cold The principal reactions occurring when natural materials bum involve chemical oxidation, with carbohydrates combining with elemental oxygen to yield water and carbon dioxide. Nitrogen... 

The availability, in gram quantities, of the fluorinated carbohydrates thus far synthesized has also made possible their use as starting materials for the synthesis of other analogs and intermediates for example, the preparation of 3,5-dideoxy-3,5-difluoro-D-xylose from 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-xylose,88 which is itself preparable from 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-l,2-0-isopropylidene-a-D-glucofuranose. Electrolytic oxidation of 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-D-glucose afforded, after treatment with an acidic... 

Pellenberg [114] analysed soils and river sediment for silicone content by nitrous oxide-acetylene flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. He showed that total carbon and total carbohydrates both correlate well with silicone content and the correlation between sedimentary silicone and presumed sewage material is good enough to suggest silicone as a totally synthetic, specific tracer for sewage in the aquatic environment. 

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