Aquivion Perfluorosulfonic Superacid as an Efficient Pickering Interfacial Catalyst for the Hydrolysis of Triglycerides

• Published in: ChemSusChem Vol. 10; no. 17; pp. 3363 - 3367
• Main Authors: Shi, Hui, Fan, Zhaoyu, Hong, Bing, Pera‐Titus, Marc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 11.09.2017
• Subjects: Alkylation; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical reactions; Emulsions; fatty acids; Hydrolysis; interfacial catalysis; Lauric acid; Models, Molecular; Molecular Conformation; Pickering emulsions; Pressure; Sulfonic Acids - chemistry; Surface properties; Transesterification; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - chemistry; Pickering emulsions; triglycerides; fatty acids; interfacial catalysis; hydrolysis
• ISSN: 1864-5631; 1864-564X
• DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201700663

Rational design of the surface properties of heterogeneous catalysts can boost the interfacial activity in biphasic reactions through the generation of Pickering emulsions. This concept, termed Pickering interfacial catalysis (PIC), has shown promising credentials in acid‐catalyzed transesterification, ester hydrolysis, acetalization, etherification, and alkylation reactions. PIC has now been applied to the efficient, solvent‐free hydrolysis of the triglyceride glyceryl trilaurate to lauric acid, catalyzed by Aquivion perfluorosulfonic superacid at mild conditions (100 °C and ambient pressure). Superacid, super catalyst: Rational design of the surface properties of heterogeneous catalysts can boost the interfacial activity in biphasic reactions through the generation of Pickering emulsions, a phenomenomenon through which Aquivion perfluorosulfonic superacid catalyzes the efficient, solvent‐free hydrolysis of glyceryl trilaurate at 100 °C and ambient pressure.