Open Access Chemistry-The Blog Journal
Vol 1, Issue 1, 26-32, 2013.
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Glycerol as an efficient green solvent for organic
synthesis
Ashok Kumar Taduri*, Raja. S. Bhupathi¥
*¥,Department
of Chemistry, JNTUH College of Engineering, Kukatpally,
Hyderabad (A.P), India-500 085.
Email: ashok.jntu@gmail.com
Structure of glycerol
Using solvents in chemical synthesis represents a greater challenge in the
respect of Green Chemistry and Solvents like Water, PEG-600 and Ionic liquids
has proved as potential green solvents for organic synthesis. In the past, Using
Glycerol as solvent has not used for organic synthesis and recently various
developments has proved that Glycerol can be used an efficient GREEN
SOLVENT.
Glycerol (or glycerine, glycerin) is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless,
odorless, viscous liquid
that
is
widely
used
inpharmaceutical
formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for
itssolubility in water and its hygroscopic nature.
26
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The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids known as triglycerides. Glycerol is
sweet-tasting and of low toxicity. Glycerol can be produced either by microbial
fermentation or chemical synthesis from petrochemical feedstock. It can also
be recovered from soap manufacturing. In the traditional process of the latter,
glycerol is released as a by-product during the hydrolysis of fats.This process is
currently of less importance, since soap has been largely replaced by
detergents (Wang et al., 2001).
Glycerol is usually produced as a byproduct of the transesterification of a
triglyceride in the production of natural fatty acid derivatives. These derivatives
are utilized in many areas from pharmaceuticals and food industry to
alternative fuels, e.g., biodiesel, and thus as the production of glycerol raises
its price decreases. In addition, glycerol has also promising physical and
chemical properties. It has a very high boiling point and negligible vapor
pressure; it is compatible with most organic and inorganic compounds, and
does not require special handling or storage. Glycerol, as other polar organic
solvents such as DMSO and DMF, allows the dissolution of inorganic salts,
acids, and bases, as well as enzymes and transition metal complexes (TMCs),
but it also dissolves organic compounds that are poorly miscible in water and
is non-hazardous.
Different hydrophobic solvents such as ethers and hydrocarbons which are
immiscible in glycerol allow removing the products by simple extraction.
Distillation of products is also feasible due to the high boiling point of glycerol.
Glycerol,
which
is
a
non-toxic,
biodegradable,
and
recyclable
liquid
manufactured from renewable sources, shows similar properties as an ionic
liquid and has a high potential to serve as green solvent for organic syntheses.
This has led us to study its possible use as such in a variety of ways. Several
27
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respective field or area, also presented online by blogging.
Open Access Chemistry-The Blog Journal
Vol 1, Issue 1, 26-32, 2013.
Visit: www.openaccess-chemistry.com
non-catalytic and catalytic reactions using homogeneous and heterogeneous
chemo- and bio-catalysts have been thus studied in glycerol. The unique
physico-chemical nature of glycerol enables easy separation of the product by
extraction or distillation together with catalyst recycling. These properties can
also be translated into other processes which require non-aqueous polar
solvents such as non-aqueous emulsions (Imhof and Pine 1997), as well as
applications in microwave promoted synthesis (Kappe 2004).
Fig:Production of glycerol by trans-esterification
Applications:

Glycerol
is
present
in
many
applications
in
the
cosmetic,
paint,automotive, food, tobacco, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, leather and
textile industries. It also is used as a feedstock for the production of various
chemicals (Wang et al., 2001)1.

New applications are being evaluated in the food industry, the
polyglycerol and polyurethane industry, the field of wood stabilizers and
production of small molecules, such as dihydroxyacetone, glyceric and
hydroxypyruvic acids and glycerol carbonate (Claude, 1999)2.

One of the many promising applications for the use of glycerol is its bio-
conversion to high value compounds through microbial fermentation. Glycerol
is not only cheap and abundant, but its greater degree of reduction than
sugars offers the opportunity to obtain reduced chemicals, as succinate,
28
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ethanol, xylitol, propionate, hydrogen, etc. at higher yields than those obtained
using sugars (Dharmadi et al., 2006)3.

Glycerol can be used as solvent for catalytic reduction of organic
compounds...see PDF

For catalytic transfer hydrogenations of Olefines....see PDF

For the synthesis of vinyl sulfides-as a solvent...see PDF

Used a solvent for Microwave assisted synthesis of disulfides...see PDF

As a promising carbon resource for industrial microbiology...see PDF

As an alternative solvent for the synthesis of Thiazoles...see PDF

Used
as
a
support
hydrogenolysis
catalyst
of
Palladium
catalyst...see HERE

As a renewable source of more benign solvents...see PDF

As a solvent for carbonyl comppound reductions..see PDF

Synthesis of cyanomethyl phenyl thiazoles under MW...see PDF
References
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Blog Journal: A journal which focus on short and straight articles which publishes the articles in
respective field or area, also presented online by blogging.
Open Access Chemistry-The Blog Journal
Vol 1, Issue 1, 26-32, 2013.
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respective field or area, also presented online by blogging.
Open Access Chemistry-The Blog Journal
Vol 1, Issue 1, 26-32, 2013.
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respective field or area, also presented online by blogging.
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Vol 1, Issue 1, 26-32, 2013.
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32
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