Deep eutectic solvents have appeared as potential solvents for improving
the extraction of polyphenols from vegetable or fruit matrixes. Since
gallic acid is abundant in these sources, it is considered as a typical
standard for quantifying their total polyphenol content after extraction
with solvents. However, there are no extensive studies on the solubility
behavior of gallic acid in different solvents or deep eutectic solvents.
Thus, in this work, the solubility of gallic acid is measured in pure
water; aqueous solutions of different hydrogen bond donors such as
ethylene glycol, levulinic acid, and glycerol; and aqueous mixtures
of deep eutectic solvents using choline chloride as the hydrogen bond
acceptor and ethylene glycol, levulinic acid, and glycerol as the
hydrogen bond donors. All of the measurements were performed at 293.15,
303.15, and 313.15 K and at 101.3 kPa and were validated by comparing
the solubility of gallic acid in water from the literature. Results
suggest that a 50 wt % aqueous solution of deep eutectic solvent
based on ethylene glycol or glycerol improves the gallic acid solubility
compared with a 50 wt % aqueous solution of its corresponding hydrogen
bond donor. The deep eutectic solvent containing levulinic acid acts
as the best aqueous mixture for gallic acid dissolution. Nondissolved
gallic acid was measured after equilibrium using powder X-ray diffraction,
showing that its structure does not change upon mixing with all of
the liquid mixtures. All of the solid–liquid equilibrium results
were accurately modeled with perturbed-chain statistical associating
fluid theory (PC-SAFT).