CPC C07C 291/04 (2013.01) [C11D 1/667 (2013.01)] | 6 Claims |
1. A method of synthesizing an amino acid surfactant, comprising the steps of:
(1) opening a lactam to yield an amino acid having an N-terminus;
(2) reacting the N-terminus of the amino acid with an alkylating agent to yield a tertiary amine;
(3) reacting the tertiary amine with an alcohol under acidic conditions to yield an amino acid ester having an N-terminus; and
(4) reacting the N-terminus of the amino acid ester with an oxidizing agent to yield an amino acid surfactant of the following formula:
wherein R1 and R2 may be the same or different, and comprise at least one group selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl.
|