Preparing L-α-Glycerophosphocholine in a Phase-Transfer Catalytic Reaction: Kinetic Study

The transesterification of phosphatidylcholine with methanol was successfully carried out using a promising solvent methyl tert-butyl ether instead of traditional ether, and the reaction was dramatically enhanced in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as the phase-transfer catalyst. Kinetics of the reaction including the effects of the reaction conditions on the conversion of phosphatidylcholine and the apparent rate constant ( k app ) were investigated in detail. On the basis of the experimental evidence, the transesterification mechanism was proposed and a kinetic model was developed, and the experimental data were well described by the pseudo–first-order equation.