Abstract: Mono-cyclohexyl fumarate (MCHF) was synthesized from cyclohexanol and maleic anhydride under microwave radiation using anhydrous aluminum chloride as the catalyst. The reaction products were structurally identified by means of melting point measurement, Infrared (IR) spectral analysis and elemental analysis. The effects of molar ratio of substrates, esterification temperature and time, isomerization temperature and time, microwave radiation power and isomerization catalyst dosage on MCHF yield were studied. The optimal reaction conditions were determined as follows: cyclohexanol/maleic anhydride/anhydrous aluminum chloride molar ratio 1:1.2:0.0225, microwave irradiaton power 700 W, esterification temperature 55 ℃, esterification time 30 min, isomerization temperature 100 ℃, and isomerization time 25 min. Under such conditions, the yield of MCHF reached 78.84%.

Key words: microwave radiation, food preservative, mono-cyclohexyl fumarate, cyclohexanol, maleic anhydride, anhydrous aluminum chloride