DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/jcerp.20763

Selective Synthesis of Glycerol Monostearate by Glycerol Borate

Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamhung Branch of Science University, Prof. Jong Nam, Hamhung, DPRK 99903, North Korea

Received: 5 Jun 2026; Revised: 12 Jun 2026; Accepted: 22 Jun 2026; Available online: 9 Jul 2026; Published: 31 Dec 2026.
Editor(s): Istadi Istadi
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Abstract

Glycerol monostearate, a widely used nonionic surfactant in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. However, current synthesis methods such as molecular distillation and functional group protection suffer from high equipment costs, complex post-processing, or low product purity. In this study, a boric acid ester protection method was developed to selectively synthesize high-purity glycerol monostearate. Quantum chemical calculations (AM1 method) and Monte Carlo simulations were used to predict optimal reaction conditions. Bisglyceride borate was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, then esterified with stearic acid, and hydrolyzed to yield the final product. The optimal conditions were: glycerol-to-boric acid molar ratio 2:1, 115 °C with toluene as azeotropic agent, 70 min (bisglyceride borate conversion: 96.0%). The final product purity was >95% by HPLC, with melting point 61–63 °C and HLB value 3.8. This method offers mild conditions, simple post-processing, and high purity, making it industrially promising. Copyright © 2026 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Keywords: Glycerol monostearate; Boric acid ester protection; Quantum chemical calculation; Monte Carlo simulation; HPLC; FT-IR spectroscopy

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Section: Original Research Articles
Language : EN
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