Dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) is a dicarboxylic acid with the formula . A white solid, the compound finds a variety of applications ranging from polymers to materials. The unbranched compound is the most commonly encountered C12 dicarboxylic acid.
DDDA has traditionally been produced from butadiene using a multi-step chemical process.[1] Butadiene is first converted to cyclododecatriene through cyclotrimerization.[2] The triene is then hydrogenated to cyclododecane. Autoxidation by air in the presence of boric acid gives a mixture of cyclodecanol and the cyclododecanone. In the final step, this mixture oxidized to the diacid using nitric acid. An alternative route involves ozonolysis of cyclododecene.[3]
Paraffin wax can be converted into DDDA on a laboratory scale[4] with a special strain of Candida tropicalis yeast in a multi-step process.[5] Renewable plant-oil feedstocks sourced from switchgrass could also be used to produce DDDA.
DDDA is used in antiseptics, top-grade coatings, painting materials, corrosion inhibitors, surfactants, and polymers. It is one of two precursors to the engineering plastic nylon 612.[6] The once commercial nylon called Qiana was produced on scale using DDDA.
In type 2 diabetic patients DDDA demonstrated that IV infusion helps to maintain normal blood sugar and energy levels without increasing the blood glucose load in the process.[7]