Solvent-Free Synthesis of Modified Pectin Compounds Promoted by Microwave Irradiation 英文参考文献.docVIP

Molecules 2012, 17, 12234-12242; doi:10.3390/molecules171012234 OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 /journal/molecules Communication Solvent-Free Synthesis of Modified Pectin Compounds Promoted by Microwave Irradiation Enrica Calce 1, Valeria Bugatti 2, Vittoria Vittoria 2 and Stefania De Luca 1,* 1 Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, 80138 Naples, Italy 2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: stefania.deluca@cnr.it; Tel.: +39-081-2534514; Fax: +39-081-2536642. Received: 14 September 2012; in revised form: 1 October 2012 / Accepted: 16 October 2012 / Published: 18 October 2012 Abstract: Microwave-assisted solvent-free modification of pectin was successfully accomplished, consisting in the esterification of several fatty acids by pectin alcoholic functions. The reaction was performed by simply mixing the reagents with a catalytic amount of the inorganic base (potassium carbonate) and irradiating the obtained mixture with microwaves for a short time (3–6 min). The replacement of the traditional heating with a microwave source allowed the development of a new synthetic protocol which provided increased yield of the final products, since it eliminates the small amount of degraded polysaccharide produced during traditional oil bath heating. The desired esters were fully characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Keywords: pectin; microwave irradiation; solvent-free; green chemistry 1. Introduction The development of green synthetic protocols in order to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances constitutes one of the major challenges for chemists. In particular, there has been an increasing demand for efficient organic solvent-free synthetic process, however the ideal approach would be c