| Abstract: | Carbohydrate recovery is an active area of supramolecular chemistry, motivated by the biological importance of saccharides as well as the unusual challenge presented by these complex substances. The recovery of carbohydrates from aqueous media is a difficult separation problem due to the large, irregular and multivalent structure and the low solubility of carbohydrates in organic solvents. A method for the selective recovery of mono‐ and disaccharides from aqueous media has been developed. The use of different organic solvents like butanol, methyl tertiary‐butyl ether (MTBE), n‐hexane or toluene for liquid‐liquid extraction of carbohydrates was investigated. This extraction process is facilitated by a carrier, i.e., primary amines such as cyclooctylamine. The influence of different parameters (temperature, amine concentration, extraction time) on the efficiency of the extraction was studied. Recovery rates up to 40 % are possible in a one‐stage process. Selectivities range from 1.3 up to 875.4. |
