Menthol and fatty acid-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents as media for enzyme activation

• Main Authors: Elgharbawy, Amal A. M., Putra, Sharifah Shahira Syed, Khan, Huma Warsi, Azmi, Nor Azrini Nadiha, Sani, Muhamad Shirwan Abdullah, Ab Llah, Nazurah, Hayyan, Adeeb, Jewaratnam, Jegalakshimi, Basirun, Wan Jefrey
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2023
• Subjects: QD Chemistry; TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/38685/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

This research aims to provide insights into the biological efficacy of a newly formed hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (DES). A DES based on menthol was successfully synthesized with fatty acids. The DESs' properties as enzyme activators were examined against a neat counterpart. The menthol:decanoic acid (1:1) combination showed improved thermal stability, strong catalytic activity, and reusability for up to four subsequent cycles under ideal conditions (pH 7.0, 40 degrees C for 2 h). The hydrophobic DES replaced hexane in ester synthesis, where RNL@DES5 showed better fatty acid conversion compared to neat RNL. This study demonstrated promising applications of hydrophobic DESs in non-aqueous organic reactions.