摘要:
A process for the manufacture of 3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate, and optionally therefrom tocopheryl acetate, comprises either C-alkylating 2,3,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate with isophytol or phytol in the presence of a sulphur(VI) containing catalyst of the formula R1SO2OH, wherein R1 signifies hydroxy, halogen, lower alkyl, halogenated lower alkyl or aryl, in an aprotic organic solvent, or O-alkylating 2,3,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate with a phytyl halide in a polar aprotic organic solvent in the presence of a base, and subjecting the so-obtained 4-O-phytyl-2,3,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate to a rearrangement reaction, and in each case optionally submitting the so-obtained 3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate to a ring closure reaction to produce tocopheryl acetate. The invention also includes the novel compound 3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate and certain stereoisomers thereof, and also the further novel compound 4-hydroxy-2,3,6-trimethyl-5-[3-(4,8,12-trimethyltridecyl)-but-3enyl]phenyl acetate which itself is one of several isomers of 3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate formed by isomerization under the influence of heating, e.g. during its distillation as part of the isolation and purification procedure following its manufacture as indicated above. (All-rac)-α-tocopherol, which may be derived from its acetate, is known to be the most active industrially important member of the vitamin E group.
摘要:
The present invention relates to novel processes for the manufacture of chroman derivatives such as α-tocopherol (TCP) and alkanoates thereof, especially α-tocopheryl acetate (TCPA), whereby at least one step of the processes is carried out in the presence of a Lewis acid or a mixture of a Lewis acid with a Bronsted acid as the catalyst under pressure, preferably at an absolute pressure of at least 1.1 bar. As starting materials for the manufacture of TCP and its alkanoates either a mixture of 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone (TMHQ) or 2,3,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-alkanoate (TMHQA) and a compound selected from the group consisting of phytol (pH), isophytol (IP) and (iso)phytol derivatives or 2-phytyl-3,5,6-trimethyl-hydroquinone (PTMHQ)/3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-alkanoate (PTMHQA) and/or an isomer thereof are used. Suitable Lewis acids are indium(III) salts and scandium(III) salts. Suitable acid mixtures are iron/iron(II) chloride/hydrogen chloride and zinc(II) chloride/hydrogen chloride.
摘要:
A process for the manufacture of (all-rac)-&agr;-tocopherol by the catalyzed reaction of trimethylhydroquinone with isophytol or phytol is characterized by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydrogen tris(oxalato)phosphate, or an adduct thereof with a solvent, as the catalyst in an organic solvent. The product of the process is the most active and industrially most important member of the vitamin E group.
摘要:
The present invention relates to a process of separating chiral isomers of chroman compounds, particularly tocopherols and tocotrienols as well as the esters and intermediates thereof. It has been found that this process allows a separation of the desired isomer with a higher yield and enables the use of the non-desired isomers in a very efficient way. Said process is particularly useful when implemented in an industrial process. Furthermore, it has been found that this process allows using isomer mixtures as they result from traditional industrial synthesis.
摘要:
A method of producing .alpha.-tocopherol from non-.alpha.-tocopherols is disclosed. In the disclosed method, non-.alpha.-tocopherols are hydroxymethylated and reduced to .alpha.-tocopherol in a single step by reacting formaldehyde or a formaldehyde-producing compound with the non-.alpha.-tocopherol under catalytic reducing conditions in a reaction mixture containing the non-.alpha.-tocopherol, formaldehyde or formaldehyde-producing compound and boric acid or a boric acid-producing compound dispersed in a solvent of an azeotropic mixture of trimethyl borate and methanol and a non-polar organic solvent.
摘要:
The present invention relates to a process of separating chiral isomers of chroman compounds, particularly tocopherols and tocotrienols as well as the esters and intermediates thereof. It has been found that this process allows a separation of the desired isomer with a higher yield and enables the use of the non-desired isomers in a very efficient way. Said process is particularly useful when implemented in an industrial process. Furthermore, it has been found that this process allows using isomer mixtures as they result from traditional industrial synthesis.
摘要:
Biologically active compounds (e.g. from the groups of pharmaceutical drugs, cofactors, hormones, vitamins or phytochemicals) often consist of two or more stereoisomers (enantiomers or diastereoisomers) which may differ in their pharmacodynamic/kinetic, toxicological and biological properties. These differences are so far difficult to detect. A well known example for a biologically active compound and its counterpart is vitamin E which is predominantly administered as two different ‘forms’, one derived from natural sources (mainly soybeans), and one from production by chemical total-synthesis. While vitamin E from natural sources occurs as a single stereoisomer (RRR-α-tocopherol), so-called synthetic vitamin E (all-rac-α-tocopherol) is an equimolar mixture of eight stereoisomers. The present invention is directed to a method for calculating the biological activity of a biologically active compound (e.g. RRR-α-tocopherol) and a counterpart thereof (e.g. all-rac-α-tocopherol), comprising the steps of: culturing a plurality of cells in a culture medium and treating the cells with different concentrations of either said compound or said counterpart thereof; or treating a plurality of animals or plants with different concentrations of either said compound or said counterpart; preparing samples from the treated cells or animals or plants containing a pool of target nucleic acids comprising RNA transcripts; detecting the expression of genes in said cells by measuring the amount of transcripts of said genes to obtain a target expression pattern by hybridizing said pool of target nucleic acids to an array of nucleic acid probes immobilized on a surface, wherein said array comprising at least 10 different nucleic acids, some of which comprise control probes, and wherein each different nucleic acid is localized in a known location of said surface; quantifying the hybridization of said nucleic acids to said array by comparing binding of matched and control probes; calculating the biological activity of the compound and its counterpart therefrom.