QUANTITATIVE MONITORING OF STEARIC-ACID MONOALKANOLAMIDE SYNTHESES BY HPLC

The application of a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of various stearoyl monoalkanolamides is described. The base catalyzed amidation of methyl stearate with different monoalkanolamines, during two hours at 100.degree. C, is examined. In each case the amount of the monoalkanolamide formed is determined directly in the crude reaction product by isocratic elution with a ternary solvent system of tetrahydrofuran-acetonitrile-water at pH 2.6 (37.5 5:37.5:25v/v) followed bv detection with a differential refractometer. The quantitative results indicate that under the present experimental conditions the monoalkanolamines used react with methyl stearate at different rates without significant formation of byproducts.