Process for making ascorbic acid
AssigneeRoche Vitamins Inc.
InventorJoachim Veits
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Abstract
A process for the preparation of ascorbic acid starting from an ascorbate is characterized in that an ascorbate, e.g. sodium ascorbate, dissolved in water is decomposed under the influence of an electric field by means of ion-selective membranes into ascorbate ions and cations and the latter are separated spatially from one another and then, as a result of simultaneous generation of protons and hydroxide ions, the ascorbic acid is prepared from the liberated ascorbate ions and protons and, spatially separated therefrom, the corresponding hydroxide, e.g. sodium hydroxide, is also prepared from the cations and hydroxide ions.
Claims16
A process for the preparation of ascorbic acid from an ascorbic acid salt in an electrolytic cell having an anode and a cathode, comprising:
- 1) converting the ascorbic acid salt dissolved in water under the influence of an electric field disposed across the anode and cathode into an ascorbate anion and a salt cation;
- 2) separating the ascorbate anion and the salt cation by means of ion-selective membranes, whereby at least one of the ions migrates across an ion-selective membrane under the influence of the electric field into a second chamber in the electrolytic cell, while simultaneously generating protons and hydroxide ions by splitting water in the electric field;
- 3) allowing the ascorbate anion in one chamber to react with the proton obtained by the splitting of water to obtain ascorbic acid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.