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Zinc catalyst recycling in the preparation of (all-rac)-α-tocopherol from trimethylhydroquinone and isophytol

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Abstract

Recycling of ZnCl2 as a catalyst in the cyclocondensation of trimethylhydroquinone and isophytol to all-rac-α-tocopherol was studied. ZnCl2 was recycled at over 98 % efficiency in required purity by repeated extraction of the reaction streams with water, followed by switching of solvent to butyl acetate and then back to water. Recycled ZnCl2 had no negative effect on the yield of all-rac-α-tocopherol (maintaining over 90 %) at nearly total conversion of isophytol and only a 3 % molar excess of trimethylhydroquinone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zentiva, a.s., Nitrianska 100, 920 27, Hlohovec, Slovakia

    Juraj Gömöry

  2. Research Institute of Chemical Technology, VUCHT j.s.c., Nobelova 34, 836 03, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Milan Králik

  3. Department of Organic Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Alexander Kaszonyi

Authors
  1. Juraj Gömöry
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  2. Milan Králik
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  3. Alexander Kaszonyi
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Correspondence to Alexander Kaszonyi.

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Gömöry, J., Králik, M. & Kaszonyi, A. Zinc catalyst recycling in the preparation of (all-rac)-α-tocopherol from trimethylhydroquinone and isophytol. Chem. Pap. 65, 427–436 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-011-0027-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-011-0027-0

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