Choline Chloride-urea Deep Eutectic Mixture Water for the Synthesis of an Amphiphilic Compound of Glyceryl Monocaffeate

Abstract

The Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of glyceryl monocaffeate (GMC) in choline chloride-urea of natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) media is reported to provide amphiphilic character to caffeic acid (CA). The modification of CA into GMC could potentially increase its solubility and widen the application of CA’s biological activities in water and oil-based systems. The high conversion was achieved when the reaction was carried out with the addition of more than 20 %v/v water, at a high molar ratio of glycerol and 40°C. It was found that the lipase-catalyzed transesterification of ethyl caffeate (EC) and glycerol in choline chloride-urea of DES media obeyed ping-pong bi-bi mechanism with V_max = 10.9 mmol.min^-1, K_mEC = 126.5 mmol and K_mGly = 1842.7 mmol.

graphical abstract