Category Archives: Solvents

Acrylic acid esters resulting from its reaction with polyalcohols have great relevance in many application areas, such as in the formulation of plastics, adhesives and paints. Their preparation is laborious due to the chemical properties of acrylic acid, which tends to spontaneously polymerize resulting in undesirable products. This paper describes the preparation in high yields of an ester by a convenient catalytic procedure that allows solvent exclusion and catalyst recycling.

Glycerol is a biodegradable, nontoxic, nonvolatile, and water-soluble liquid, qualities that make it valuable in various applications. It is currently obtained as a by-product of biodiesel production in quantities of millions of tons per year. Therefore, to make biodiesel production sustainable, its full potential must be exploited. This review describes its fruitful use as a solvent of relevant synthetic importance.