Carbon sugar alcohols

In 1921 Pictet and Barbier28 recorded an attempt to produce higher-carbon sugar alcohols from aldose sugars by means of the reaction sequence ... 

Fats are composed primarily of triacylglycerols (TAG). A TAG consists of three fatty acid residues esterified to a glycerol (three-carbon sugar alcohol) backbone at specific locations known as sn-1, sn-2, and sn-3. Fatty acid residues exist in a wide variety of forms, including short and long chain, saturated and unsaturated, odd or even carbon number, tmns- or cis-, linear or branched, as well as any combination thereof (21). TAG variety in a fat system is very large, as there are potentially hundreds of different fatty acid residues and their isomers available for reaction at any of the three sn-positions. 

Sorbitol is a six-carbon sugar alcohol which contains six hydroxyl groups available for esterification. However, under process conditions that are required for the direct esterification with fatty acids sorbitol undergoes an internal etherification to 1,4-sorbi-tan (anhydro sorbitol), the monoanhydride form of sorbitol, which only contains four hydroxyl groups available for esterification. According to this, the esterification of sorbitol with fatty acids yields sorbitan esters. Sorbitan fatty acid esters can be produced in a one-step process by direct, base-catalyzed reaction of sorbitol with a fatty acid at temperatures of 260 Milder temperature conditions are desirable for more odorless sorbitan esters with lighter color (Figure 4A.43). 

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