@misc{9223193,
  abstract     = {{This research focuses on the synthesis of two monoesters of tartaric acid, the monomethyl- and monopropyl ester. The monoesters of tartaric acid are synthesized using green chemistry approaches and intended for use as monomers in waterborne polyurethane dispersions which are more environmentally friendly than traditional solvent-based polyurethane dispersions. Polyurethane dispersions are mainly used for coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers. The challenges in this field of research are developing a monomer which is cheap, environmentally friendly and high-performance. The monoesters of tartaric acid pursued in this research were mainly synthesized using a Fischer esterification pathway and the conversion was monitored by 1H NMR without the use of an internal standard. Both methyl and propyl monoesters showed a conversion of around 50% with a good selectivity under optimized conditions. However, isolation of the monoesters proved difficult due to the amphiphilic nature of the compounds resulting in partitioning to both the aqueous and organic phases during workup. Other workup methods such as chromatography, recrystallization and vacuum distillation proved unsuccessful or resulted in poor yield. Distillation, on the other hand, was an effective technique for isolating the diester, which formed as an over-substituted byproduct in the reaction. Other reaction pathways such as hydrolysis of the diester and attempts using a benzyl protective group strategy for monoester synthesis proved unsuccessful. Additionally, a kinetic study was conducted on the effect of temperature, catalyst concentration and propanol equivalents on monoester and diester conversion.}},
  author       = {{Ekberg, Lukas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Selective monoesterification of dicarboxylic acids using green chemistry approaches}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}