Amphiphilic long-chain citric acid ethers

Abstract

The etherification of the hydroxyl group of citric acid with saturated and unsaturated long-chain alkyl groups is described. This is a new approach to polydentate acids which may serve as ligands for metal or metal oxide nanoparticles. For this purpose we developed a synthetic route to long-chain ù-unsaturated alcohols and their triflate derivatives. © 2009 Verlag der Zeitschrift für Naturforschung, Tübingen.