Kinetics of the Synthesis of Lactose Molecular Compounds

Abstract

We studied the molecular compounds 5α/3β-lactose and 3α-/2β-lactose, which are due to the physical and chemical association of the two anomeric forms α- and β-lactose. The kinetic parameters of the synthesis were determined: the order of the reaction, the rate constant, and the energy of activation. A nondestructive method employing X-ray diffraction was used for the quantification of lactose in the solid state. The synthesis of 5α-/3β-lactose was almost three times faster than that for 3α-/2β-lactose. Furthermore, the activation energy for the synthesis of 3α-/2β-lactose was twice as high as that for 5α-/3β-lactose. The observed differences could be explained by different synthesis pathways.