[donske]

Dear all,

I am wondering whether acrolein is formed if you heat up glycerol without the use of a catalyst.
Acids are often used as a catalyst but without one, would there still be formation of acrolein?
Even if you heat it up for a short time period?
I sometimes have to sterilise glycerol and been told to filtersterilise it, but I wonder if autoclaving is an option since it seems to me that formation of acrolein is almost not happing when one uses 15minutes at 120°C and high concentrations of glycerol.

thanks in advance

[Hunter2]

Acrolein is formed by elimination of 2 water from glycerol, so careful to heat it up. Sulfuric acid would accelarate it.

[donske]

Acrolein is formed by elimination of 2 water from glycerol, so careful to heat it up. Sulfuric acid would accelarate it.

I know, but how common is it? Without a catalysts, would it really produce a lot of acrolein if you heat up glycerol?

[Hunter2]

A little amount is enough that you get tears in your eyes. The glycerol smells strange.

[donske]

A little amount is enough that you get tears in your eyes. The glycerol smells strange.

Its not so much that I wonder about (I make sure I work safe), but I worry that the acrolein might hinder my experiments.
I only found information stating that the dehydration of glycerol (without a catalyst) starts at 280°C so I can not imagine it will happen at normal autoclaving/sterilisation temperatures.