Abstract
The synthesis of lauric esters of mono-and polyhydric alcohols was studied in organic sol. vents using lipase from Candida cylindracea immobilized on poly (vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(ethyleneimine) gels. The conversion to n-hexyl laurate increased with increasing water content in the reaction system and levelled off above 3%. A similar result was obtained with wet-treated immobilized lipase. The synthesis of n-hexyl laurate in isooctane revealed the highest conversion and the highest rate of esterification among the organic solvents used. Fifty units of lipase was necessary to achieve the almost quantitative esterification in 22 h. Lauric esters of polyhydric alcohols, such as glycerol, ethylene glycol and 1, 3-butanediol, were similarly synthesized with a relatively high conversion in isooctane. Esters prepared were characterized by gel permeation chromatography.
