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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Synthesis of benzyl cinnamate by enzymatic esterification of cinnamic acid
Yun Wang1, Dong-Hao Zhang2, Na Chen1
1College of Pharmaceutical Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China.
Abstract:
In this study, lipase catalysis was successfully applied in synthesis of benzyl cinnamate through esterification of cinnamic acid with benzyl alcohol. Lipozyme TLIM was found to be more efficient for catalyzing this reaction than Novozym 435. In order to increase the yield of benzyl cinnamate, several media, including acetone, trichloromethane, methylbenzene, and isooctane, were used in this reaction. The reaction showed a high yield using isooctane as medium. Furthermore, the effects of several parameters such as water activity, reaction temperature, etc, on this reaction were analyzed. It was pointed out that too much benzyl alcohol would inhibit lipase activity. Under the optimum conditions, lipase-catalyzed synthesis of benzyl cinnamate gave a maximum yield of 97.3%. Besides, reusable experiment of enzyme demonstrated that Lipozyme TLIM retained 63% of its initial activity after three cycles. These results were of general interest for developing industrial processes for the preparation of benzyl cinnamate.
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