Synthesis and analytical characterization of N-methylated derivatives of α-tocopheramine and their oxidation products

N-Methylated derivatives of α-tocopheramine, which have preliminarily been shown to have good performance as stabilizers of cellulose solutions in ionic liquids for production of cellulosic manmade fibers, have not been accessible in sufficient amounts by green syntheses. In this study, the N-methyl-, N,N-dimethyl-, and N,N,N-trimethylammonium derivatives of α-tocopheramine were synthesized and fully analytically characterized. The procedures used dimethyl carbonate as solvent and methylating agent as well as aluminum oxide as the reusable catalyst. Care was taken to ensure that the procedures conformed to green chemistry principles and were easily upscalable. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]