Thermal Decomposition of Diphenethyl Carbonate by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy

Abstract

To develop thermal stable flavour, a flavour precursor of diphenethyl carbonate was synthesized by the transesterification of dimethyl carbonate and phenethyl alcohol with potassium carbonate as a catalyst. The thermal decomposition behaviour and pyrolysis products of diphenethyl carbonate were investigated by on-line pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (Py- GC/MS). Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the pyrolysis products at 300, 500 and 700 ºC. It was found that the amount of phenethyl alcohol increased rapidly with the increase of temperature, but the amount of 2-phenethyl-b-phenylpropionate decreased sharply. Phenethyl alcohol was the main product at 700 ºC. The typical pyrolysis mechanism of diphenethyl carbonate mainly included: the cleavage of the C-O single bonds of ester group and phenylethyloxy group and the recombination of radicals at three temperatures.