Glycerol

Catalog	ACM56815
CAS	56-81-5
Structure
Description	Glycerol (also called glycerine or glycerin; see spelling differences) is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in all lipids known as triglycerides. It is widely used in the food industry as a sweetener and humectant and in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature.
Synonyms	Glycerin(mist)
IUPAC Name	Propane-1,2,3-triol
Molecular Weight	92.09
Molecular Formula	C3H8O3
Canonical SMILES	C(C(CO)O)O
InChI	InChI=1S/C3H8O3/c4-1-3(6)2-5/h3-6H,1-2H2
InChI Key	PEDCQBHIVMGVHV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Boiling Point	290 °C
Melting Point	20 °C(lit.)
Flash Point	320 °F
Purity	99%+
Density	1.25 g/mL(lit.)
Solubility	Insoluble in fixed, volatile oils
Appearance	Liquid
Storage	5-30 °C
Exact Mass	92.047344113
Monoisotopic Mass	92.047344113
Physical State	Viscous liquid
Refractive Index	n20/D 1.474(lit.)
Storage Conditions	5-30 °C
Topological Polar Surface Area	60.7 Ų

Case Study

Glycerol Eutectics as Sustainable Solvent Systems

Abbott, Andrew P., et al. Green Chemistry, 2011, 13(1), 82-90.

One of the limiting factors of glycerol's use as a bulk solvent is its high viscosity and high boiling point, making it difficult to separate the material by filtration or distillation. However, glycerol still has potential as a green solvent. For example, adding quaternary ammonium salts to glycerol can form a deep eutectic solvent (DES) and reduce the viscosity of the liquid. The mixture was shown to be useful in the purification of biodiesel. Furthermore, eutectic mixtures of glycerol and choline chloride (ChCl) have also shown potential as sustainable solvent systems.
Synthesis and Properties of Choline Chloride/Glycerol System
· DES are mixtures of hydrogen bond donors and simple halide salts, producing liquids with physical and solvent properties comparable to ionic liquids. Glycerol can act as a hydrogen bond donor in deep eutectic solvents.
· The eutectic mixture is formed by stirring the two components at approximately 80°C until a homogeneous colorless liquid forms.
· When ChCl is added to glycerol, the viscosity decreases significantly because the 3D intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions in glycerol are disrupted, resulting in a less ordered system.