Green synthesis of organogelators from renewable natural sources for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications

Organogels are semi-solid systems in which a three-dimensional network, composed by the organgelator fibers, immobilizes an organic liquid phase by twisting around it. They find application in different industrial fields as "soft" materials; their mechanical and chemical properties, together with their rheological behavior, make them excellent candidates in cosmetic and pharmaceutical technologies. The synthesis of organo-gelling agents often suffers of long procedures, unfriendly solvents and reagents, and complex work up. In this research we focused on an ecofriendly solventless synthesis using renewable sources, as starting materials, under microwave activation (MW). Using a simple mixture of reagents in dry media, under acidic conditions, 1,3:2,4-dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS), a low-molecular-weight gelator, and some derivatives were obtained in good yield in less than ten minutes. The obtained products showed good gelling properties.