Transformation of Cellulose into Biodegradable Alkyl Glycosides by Following Two Different Chemical Routes

The transformation of cellulose into long-chain alkyl glycoside surfactants has been carried out following two different routes: (1) Direct transformation of cellulose to butyl-, hexyl-, octyl-, decyl- and dodecyl-alpha,beta-glycosides in an ionic liquid media and Amberlyst-15Dry as catalysts, with mass yield of up to 82%; and (2) two steps reaction with transformation of cellulose into methyl glucosides, with a procedure described by Zhang et al., followed by transacetalation with 1-octanol and 1-decanol in the presence of Amberlyst-15Dry. A kinetic study for the direct transformation of cellulose using 1-octanol has shown that depolymerisation of cellulose continues during the Fischer glycosidation. Increasing the chain length of the alcohol decreases the global reaction rate owing to an increase in the lipophilicity of the alcohol that decreases its contact with the carbohydrates. Finally, several acid catalysts were tested and the best results were obtained with Amberlyst-15Dry.