Glycerol ethers as green solvents: improved synthesis and ecotoxicity studies

Abstract

In this communication we present a systematic study of the synthesis of mono- and dialkylglycerol ethers starting from alkyl alcohols and platform molecules coming from glycerol, such as glycidol and epichlorhydrin, and using several metal hydroxides as bases in mild reaction conditions. Yields and selectivities are strongly dependent on the base, the nature of the alcohol and its excess with regard to the epoxide. In general, better results are obtained with short chain alcohols. Furthermore, the ecotoxicities of nineteen glycerol alkyl ethers have been studied using the bacteria Vibrio fischeri and the crustacean Daphnia magna as bioindicators, and the possible structure-toxicity relationships have been explored.