Key words: supercritical lower alcohols, methanol, bornyl acetate, borneol, fir needle oil, transesterification reaction
A non-catalytic transesterification (alcoholysis) reaction of bornyl acetate in commercial fir needle oil has been carried out for the first time using supercritical lower alcohols - methanol, ethanol and isopropanol. Only the use of methanol is shown to provide high conversion and selectivity of the reaction. Thus, at 350 °C for 1 hour of reaction in autoclave-type reactor 93 % selectivity on borneol with 90 % conversion of bornyl acetate was achieved. A further increase in reaction time leads to a decrease in borneol selectivity, accompanied by an unexpected increase in camphor concentration.
doi:10.1134/S1990793125701015