Formose Reactions. VI. Formose Synthesis in Methanol

Abstract

The formose reaction in methanol was compared with that in an aqueous solution. The reaction can occur in aqueous methanol even at a low [CaO]/[HCHO] ratio (0.05), at which the reaction does not take place in an aqueous solution, and the formaldehyde consumption rate decreases with an increase in the methanol concentration. Contrary to the formose reaction in an aqueous solution, the sugar yield in methanol becomes higher with an increase in the formaldehyde concentration. The rates of the sugar degradation and the formaldehyde consumption increase with an increase in the pH. The distribution of products is different from that in an aqueous solution, but both of them are very complex and essentially nonselective.