Lipase Catalyzed Solvent-Free Amidation of Phenolic Acids

A series of N-alkyl substituted amides, based on various phenolic acids, have been synthesized by the condensation of equimolar amounts of phenolic acids with different alkyl amines in presence of Candida antarctica lipase at 60-90 °C in 16-20 h. The reactions were carried out in a non - solvent system without the use of any activating agents. All the products were obtained in appreciable amounts and the yields for different compounds varied between 75.6 - 83.5%. The synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopy techniques namely IR and NMR (¹H and ¹³C).