THE SYNTHESIS OF SUCROSE ESTERS FROM TELOMER MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS

Glycolipid biosurfactants possess excellent surfactant properties and can be useful model compounds for the synthesis of surfactants from ma terials available in large quantities. The incorporation of a long, br anched alkyl group, which is a feature of glycolipids, into a syntheti c surfactant was achieved by the transesterification of sucrose with t he methyl ester of a selected telomer monocarboxylic acid mixture, in a solution reaction. Characterisation showed the product to be a mixtu re of mono- and diesters each comprising a different ratio of linear t o branched alkyl chains in the substituted group. Surfactant propertie s of the mixture, and the chromatographically-separated components, wh en evaluated in both distilled water and a salt solution, were found t o be superior to a range of sucrose stearates. In addition the biosurf actant analogues were found to be more effective than surfactants deri ved from beta-keto alkyl esters of various sugars (including sucrose) but were not as efficient as these latter compounds.