Selective Synthesis of Glycerol Monostearate by Glycerol Borate

Kyong Il Choe (Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamhung Branch of Science University, Prof. Jong Nam, Hamhung, DPRK 99903)
Chol Min Ri (Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamhung Branch of Science University, Prof. Jong Nam, Hamhung, DPRK 99903)
Jong Nam Kim (Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamhung Branch of Science University, Prof. Jong Nam, Hamhung, DPRK 99903)
Rak Won Paek (Department of Chemical Engineering, Hamhung Branch of Science University, Prof. Jong Nam, Hamhung, DPRK 99903)

Journal of Chemical Engineering Research Progress
2026: JCERP, Volume 3 Issue 2 Year 2026 (December) (Issue in Progress)

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).