Catalytic etherification of sucrose with 1,2-epoxydodecane: investigation of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts

Abstract Sucrose etherification with the 1,2-epoxydodecane was investigated using various tertiary amines as catalysts. The reversible addition of the tertiary amine on the epoxide led to the formation of a strongly basic quaternary ammonium salt, responsible for the catalytic activity observed. From those results, a new efficient heterogeneous catalytic process was also developed and consists in the use of basic anion-exchange resins as catalyst. We suggested that the 1,2-dodecanediol side production was necessary to start the reaction by increasing the interfacial area between the 1,2-epoxydodecane and the sucrose phase. To cite this article: R. Pierre et al., C. R. Chimie 7 (2004) .