Esterification reactions transesterification

Stannous oxalate is used as an esterification and transesterification catalyst for the preparation of alkyds, esters, and polyesters (172,173). In esterification reactions, it limits the undeskable side reactions responsible for the degradation of esters at preparation temperatures. The U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted research on the use of stannous oxalate as a catalyst in the hydrogenation of coal (174) (see Coal). 

Amino alcohols can be resolved by a number of pathways including hydrolysis, esterification, and transesterification. For example, hydrolysis of Ai,0-diacet5l-2-amino-l-butanol with PPL followed by recrystallization results in (80a) with 95% ee (108). Hydrolysis of racemic acetates or butyrates of 2-[(aLkoxycarbonyl)amino]-l-aLkanols with PFL gives (R)-alcohol (81) with 95% ee (109). (3)-(81) can be obtained by transesterification of the racemic (81) with ethyl acetate which also serves as the reaction medium (109). 

Chirazymes. These are commercially available enzymes e.g. lipases, esterases, that can be used for the preparation of a variety of optically active carboxylic acids, alcohols and amines. They can cause regio and stereospecific hydrolysis and do not require cofactors. Some can be used also for esterification or transesterification in neat organic solvents. The proteases, amidases and oxidases are obtained from bacteria or fungi, whereas esterases are from pig liver and thermophilic bacteria. For preparative work the enzymes are covalently bound to a carrier and do not therefore contaminate the reaction products. Chirazymes are available form Roche Molecular Biochemicals and are used without further purification. 

PET is the polyester of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Polyesters are prepared by either direct esterification or transesterification reactions. In the direct esterification process, terephthalic acid is reacted with ethylene glycol to produce PET and water as a by-product. Transesterification involves the reaction of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) with ethylene glycol in the presence of a catalyst (usually a metal carboxylate) to form bis(hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) and methyl alcohol as a by-product. In the second step of transesterification, BHET... 

Aqueous solutions are not suitable solvents for esterifications and transesterifications, and these reactions are carried out in organic solvents of low polarity [9-12]. However, enzymes are surrounded by a hydration shell or bound water that is required for the retention of structure and catalytic activity [13]. Polar hydrophilic solvents such as DMF, DMSO, acetone, and alcohols (log P<0, where P is the partition coefficient between octanol and water) are incompatible and lead to rapid denaturation. Common solvents for esterifications and transesterifications include alkanes (hexane/log P=3.5), aromatics (toluene/2.5, benzene/2), haloalkanes (CHCI3/2, CH2CI2/I.4), and ethers (diisopropyl ether/1.9, terf-butylmethyl ether/ 0.94, diethyl ether/0.85). Exceptionally stable enzymes such as Candida antarctica lipase B (CAL-B) have been used in more polar solvents (tetrahydrofuran/0.49, acetonitrile/—0.33). Room-temperature ionic liquids [14—17] and supercritical fluids [18] are also good media for a wide range of biotransformations. 

Organotin compounds such as monobutyltin oxide, the main substance used, accounting for 70% of consumption, dibutyltin oxide, monooctyltin oxide, and dioctyltin oxide are used in certain esterification and transesterification reactions, at concentrations between 0.001% and 0.5% by weight. They are used in the production of substances such as phthalates, polyesters, alkyd resins, fatty acid esters, and adipates and in trans-esterifications. These substances are in turn used as plasticizers, synthetic lubricants, and coatings. Organo-tins are used as catalysts to reduce the formation of unwanted by-products and also provide the required colour properties (ETICA, 2002). 

Lipase is an enzyme which catalyzes the hydrolysis of fatty acid esters normally in an aqueous environment in living systems. However, hpases are sometimes stable in organic solvents and can be used as catalyst for esterifications and transesterifications. By utihzing such catalytic specificities of lipase, functional aliphatic polyesters have been synthesized by various polymerization modes. Typical reaction types of hpase-catalyzed polymerization leading to polyesters are summarized in Scheme 1. Lipase-catalyzed polymerizations also produced polycarbonates and polyphosphates. 

Syntheses of aliphatic polyesters by fermentation and chemical processes have been extensively studied from the viewpoint of biodegradable materials science. Recently, another approach to their production has been made by using an isolated lipase or esterase as catalyst via non-biosynthetic pathways under mild reaction conditions. Lipase and esterase are enzymes which catalyze hydrolysis of esters in an aqueous environment in living systems. Some of them can act as catalyst for the reverse reactions, esterifications and transesterifications, in organic media [1-5]. These catalytic actions have been expanded to... 

In a lipase-catalyzed reaction, the acyl group of the ester is transferred to the hydroxyl group of the serine residue to form the acylated enzyme. The acyl group is then transferred to an external nucleophile with the return of the enzyme to its preacylated state to restart the catalytic cycle. A variety of nucleophiles can participate in this process. For example, reaction in the presence of water results in hydrolysis, reaction in alcohol results in esterification or transesterification, and reaction in amine results in amination. Kirchner et al.3 reported that it was possible to use hydrolytic enzymes under conditions of limited moisture to catalyze the formation of esters, and this is now becoming very popular for the resolution of alcohols.4... 

The various tri-, di- and monoorganotin hydroxides and oxides that can be obtained by partial or complete hydrolysis of the corresponding halides or carboxylates often behave as catalysts for reactions such as esterification or transesterification, and it is partly with the aim of obtaining better and more selective catalysts that a lot of work has been carried out on these compounds in the past decade.347... 

Esterification is the first step in PET synthesis but also occurs during melt-phase polycondensation, SSP, and extrusion processes due to the significant formation of carboxyl end groups by polymer degradation. As an equilibrium reaction, esterification is always accompanied by the reverse reaction being hydrolysis. In industrial esterification reactors, esterification and transesterification proceed simultaneously, and thus a complex reaction scheme with parallel and serial equilibrium reactions has to be considered. In addition, the esterification process involves three phases, i.e. solid TPA, a homogeneous liquid phase and the gas phase. The respective phase equilibria will be discussed below in Section 3.1. 

In Figure 2.4, data for the equilibrium constants of esterification/hydrolysis and transesterification/glycolysis from different publications [21-24] are compared. In addition, the equilibrium constant data for the reaction TPA + 2EG BHET + 2W, as calculated by a Gibbs reactor model included in the commercial process simulator Chemcad, are also shown. The equilibrium constants for the respective reactions show the same tendency, although the correspondence is not as good as required for a reliable rigorous modelling of the esterification process. The thermodynamic data, as well as the dependency of the equilibrium constants on temperature, indicate that the esterification reactions of the model compounds are moderately endothermic. The transesterification process is a moderately exothermic reaction. 

The production of PET is a well-known industrial process. Early patents on PET synthesis refer to the 1940s. Esterification and transesterification reactions have been investigated since the end of the 19th century. PET production plants have been optimized over the last few decades based on well-established production know-how . PET is now a commodity product with unusually rapid growth and further nearly unlimited future growth perspectives. 

As mentioned above, esterification and transesterification are the two main reactions responsible for the molecular weight increase in PET. Both reactions are considered to be second-order and their rates are given as follows [12] ... 

Generally, two to three preheater sections are used for the product heat-up by using nitrogen, and two to three sections are required to reach the final viscosity. Cooling is carried out either in an additional compartment or with a fluid bed. Typically, for a viscosity increase from 0.60 up to 1.0, the crystallinity increases to ca. 62 vol%, and the carboxyl end group concentration decreases by approximately 10-15 mol/t. This equates to both esterification and transesterification contributing half of the IV increase if side reactions are neglected. 

The understanding of the SSP process is based on the mechanism of polyester synthesis. Polycondensation in the molten (melt) state (MPPC) is a chemical equilibrium reaction governed by classical kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Rapid removal of volatile side products as well as the influence of temperature, time and catalysts are of essential importance. In the later stages of polycondensation, the increase in the degree of polymerization (DP) is restricted by the diffusion of volatile reaction products. Additionally, competing reactions such as inter- and intramolecular esterification and transesterification put a limit to the DP (Figure 5.1). 

Fortunato, B., Munari, A. and Manaresi, P., Inhibiting effect of phosphorus compounds on model transesterification and direct esterification reactions catalysed by titanium tetrabutylate, Polymer, 35, 4006 (1994). 

Direct esterification of PDO with TPA is a more economical route than transesterification with DMT. However, it is also a more difficult technology to implement. Table 11.1 summarizes the reaction conditions, catalysts and additives for both the DMT and TPA processes [24-28], while Figure 11.2 shows the direct esterification reaction scheme. Only the TPA process will be described below. 

BHET formation is conducted at temperatures of 200 to 250 °C to achieve reasonable reaction rates. The activation energies of the two reactions are of the order of 25 000-30 000 cal/mol [4, 5], The BHET formation is usually conducted under pressure to keep the ethylene glycol in the liquid state. Terephthalic acid is slurried with ethylene glycol for the esterification reaction. Dimethyl terephthalate is dissolved in ethylene glycol and BHET for a liquid-phase transesterification reaction. The synthesis of BHET is driven to this material by the removal of water or methanol. The reactions are reversible at reasonable rates if the concentrations of water or methanol reactants are held high. 

There are a few reported cases of esterases that catalyze not only hydrolysis but also the reverse reaction of ester formation, in analogy with the global reaction described for serine peptidases (Fig. 3.4). Thus, cholesterol esterase can catalyze the esterification of oleic acid with cholesterol and, more importantly in our context, that of fatty acids with haloethanols [54], Esterification and transesterification reactions are also mediated by carboxyleste-rases, as discussed in greater detail in Sect. 7.4. 

The dimethyl ester of adipic acid, rather than adipic acid, was used as a transesterification substrate. Reaction rate studies had shown that the transesterification would be much faster than the esterification reaction. It was considered that the rate of attack on the oxazolidine ring by methanol would be slower than the rate of attack by water and that the ring opening would not be catalysed by the enzyme, whereas the rate of the transesterification would be increased significantly, particularly at the low temperature of the enzymatic esterification. 

In addition, iodine snccessfnlly catalyzed the electrophilic snbstitntion reaction of indoles with aldehydes and ketones to bis(indonyl)methanes [225], the deprotection of aromatic acetates [226], esterifications [227], transesterifications [227], the chemoselective thioacetalization of carbon functions [228], the addition of mercaptans to a,P-nnsatnrated carboxylic acids [229], the imino-Diels-Alder reaction [230], the synthesis of iV-Boc protected amines [231], the preparation of alkynyl sngars from D-glycals [232], the preparation of methyl bisnlfate [233], and the synthesis of P-acetamido ketones from aromatic aldehydes, enolizable ketones or ketoesters and acetonitrile [234],... 

Reactions with anhydrides and acid chlorides are more rapid and can occur in an essentially nonreversible fashion. But, anhydrides and acid chlorides are considered high-energy reactants since they often involve additional energy-requiring steps in their production, and are thus less suitable for large-scale production of materials. The activity energies for direct esterification and transesterification are on the order of 30 kcal/mol (120 kJ/mol) while the activation energies for anhydride and acid chloride reaction with alcohols are on the order of 15-20 kcal/mol (60-80 kJ/mol). 

At low temperatures, the activity of acid catalysts in transesterification is normally fairly low and to obtain a sufficient reaction rate it is necessary to increase the reaction temperature to >170 °C. Therefore, sulfonic acid resins can be used in esterification reactions where they perform well at temperatures <120 °C and particularly in the pretreatment of acidic oils. Under these reaction conditions, acidic resins are stable. Poly(styrenesulfonic add), for example, has been used in the esterification of a by-product of a vegetable oil refinery with a 38.1 wt% acidity at 90-120 ° C and 3-6 atm. It was not deactivated after the first batch and maintained a steady catalytic performance in the next seven batches [22]. 

Also for this reaction, namely esterification plus transesterification, mixed oxides, this time acidic in nature, appear to be the most promising alternative. Tungstated zirconia-alumina (WZA), sulfated zirconia-alumina and sulfated tin oxide were shown to be active in the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol at 200-300 °C and in the esterification of n-octanoic acid with methanol at 175-200 °C. Although the order of activities is different for the two reactions, WZA gives high conversions in both readions and it is stable under the reaction conditions [31]. Titania on zirconia, alumina on zirconia and zirconia on alumina also showed good performances [32, 6]. 

Catalysts able to promote both transesterification of triglycerides and esterification of FFAs in an oil or fat are still rare and up to now none of them have found a commercial application. Thus far it seems that a moderate to high concentration of strongly acidic sites and a hydrophobic surface are mandatory to achieve good conversions in simultaneous esterification and transesterification reactions, but more research and creative thinking are still needed in this area. 

Many types of solid catalysts have been tested in esterification and transesterification reactions of fatty acids, TG feedstock and simple esters. Nonetheless, it is possible to group most catalysts in three general categories metal, base, and acid catalysts. The following sections deal with these three groups accordingly. 

In addition to transesterification reactions, solid base catalysts, including both simple oxides and zeolitic materials, have been used to carry out esterification reactions of fatty acids. These studies have mainly focused on the... 

Catalysis by Solid Acids. Two aspects are considered here. The first aspect is concerned with transesterification reactions catalyzed by solid acids. Unfortunately, little research dealing with this subject has been reported in the literature. The second aspect deals with esterification reactions of carboxylic acids (or FFAs). This second part addresses an important characteristic of inexpensive TG feedstocks, i.e., high FFA content. Ideally, an active solid catalyst should be able to carry out transesterification and esterification simultaneously, thus eliminating pretreatment steps. It is likely that heterogeneous catalysts that perform well in esterification should also be good candidates for transesterification since the mechanisms for both reactions are quite similar. 

Perhaps, a more important reason for the little research in this particular area is the slow reaction rate associated with acid catalysis in general. However, the ability of solid acids to catalyze both esterification and transesterification reactions simultaneously and the possibility for employing catalysts that are reusable and green, meaning that they do not pose a great environmental threat, are attractive aspects that make the study of these materials imperative. 

Many publications advocate the use of solid acid resins in esterification reactions. A comprehensive review of organic reactions catalyzed by resins is that of Harmer and Sun. However, thermal-stability above 140°C and lack of structural integrity at high pressures severely limit the applicability of organic resins as catalysts for esterification and transesterification. 

Lipase-catalysed esterification and transesterification reactions have a wide range of applications in the synthesis of aroma compounds. 

Biphasic systems have been effectively used in several enzyme-catalyzed reactions, including peptide and alkyl glycosides synthesis, esterification and transesterification, alcoholysis, hydrolysis, and enantiomeric resolution [2, 24, 60]. Although application of this particular bioconversion system has been used for final products, it is mostly used in the production of intermediate compounds, particularly optically active ones, that can be used as building blocks in the pharmaceutical and food sectors [61-64]. Updated reviews have addressed this matter [2, 4, 24, 60-63], and examples of some representative recent applications of this methodology are given in Table 8.1). 

In contrast, allyl methacrylate is produced by the esterification of methacrylic acid and allyl alcohol (13), or by the transesterification of allyl alcohol with an ester of methacrylic acid, preferably with methyl methacrylate. The latter reaction is catalyzed with zirconium acetylacetonate (14). The esterification reactions are shown in Figure... 

However, for some specific reactions, solvent-free systems are preferred because of their higher yields. The main area of development should be related to the hydrolysis of glycerides, transesterification, esterification and inter-esterification reactions. As lipases have high and stable activity in SC CO2 (even at the high temperature) an intensive development is expected. 

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