Separation and extraction of Φ‐methyl ester sulfoxylates: New features

Abstract

Abstract This paper deals with the separation and purification of Φ‐methyl ester sulfoxylates obtained through the sulfoxidation process. Two new steps are implemented during separation of the final product from the nonreacted reagent: (i) hot water is used instead of water/ethanol mixture, and (ii) n ‐butanol is used as the extractive phase after neutralization instead of ethanol, leading to a product with more than 75% active ingredient. A significant improvement in the separation and purification steps has been obtained. The new procedure allows a complete material balance of the main products formed during sulfoxidation of fatty acid methyl esters and thus can lead to study of the reaction conditions, which can improve both conversion and selectivity.