KINETICS AND MECHANISM OF THE REACTION OF AMMONIUM PERSULFATE WITH FERULIC ACID AND SUGAR-BEET PESTINS

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0008-6215(87)80161-1

The actions of ammonium persulfate on (feruloylated) sugar-beet pectins and ferulate have been studied by spectrophotometry, viscometry, 1H-n.m.r. spectroscopy, and gel-permeation chromatography.The reactions followed a pseudo-first-order law with respect to pectin and ferulate, whereas the order with respect to ammonium persulfate was unity for pectins and varied form 0.5 to >2 for ferulate.The rate constants mainly varied with the pH of the reaction mixture and there was an optimum at 3.8-5.7 for the gelation of the pectins.The results ruled out a simple condensation process between two ferulates (or feruloyl residues linked to the pectins) and suggested a free-radical polymerisation reaction.