Detergentless microemulsion

The efficiency of detergentless microemulsions in promoting the formation of macrocyllc lactones has been studied in our laboratoriesThe two most direct routes to the formation of large macrocyclic lactones are the acid "catalyzed esterification of ii)-hydroxyalkanoic acids and the cyclization of potassium salts of lo-bromoalkanoic acids. In both reactions a competitive pathway yields polymeric material and as a consequence high dilutions are employed with the attendant extended reaction times. 

Khmelnitsky, Y. L., HUhorst, R., and Veeger, C., Detergentless microemulsions as a media for enzymatic reactions cholesterol oxidation catalyzed by cholesterol oxidase, Eur. J. Biochem., 176, 265-271, 1988. 

---