A method of recovering a triarylmethyl halide from a sucrose derivatization process, comprising the steps of: (a) triarylmethylating the sucrose in the presence of an amine to form 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose and triarylmethylated sucrose byproducts; (b) acylating the 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose in the presence of an amine to form a 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose pentaester and triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts; (c) separating from the output of step (b) (i) the 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose pentaester, and (ii) a mixture comprising the triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts and the amine of step (b); either (d) and (e): (d) contacting a first byproduct component comprising the mixture of step (c) ii) with aqueous hydrogen halide under conditions sufficient to remove the amine therefrom, thereby forming a washed byproduct component comprising one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities; (e) contacting the washed byproduct component with hydrogen halide to cleave triarylmethyl groups from the one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities and thereby form a first crude triarylmethyl halide component comprising triarylmethyl halide and one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds selected from the group consisting of triarylmethyl alcohol, triarylmethyl esters, and triarylmethyl ethers; or (d') and (e'): (d') contacting a first byproduct component comprising the mixture of step (c) ii) with aqueous base under conditions sufficient to deacylate the triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts, and stripping the first byproduct component under conditions sufficient to remove substantially all of the amine of step (b), thereby forming a deacylated byproduct component comprising one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities; (e') contacting the deacylated byproduct component with hydrogen halide to cleave triarylmethyl groups from the one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities and thereby form a first crude triarylmethyl halide component comprising triarylmethyl halide and one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds selected from the group consisting of triarylmethyl alcohol, triarylmethyl esters, and triarylmethyl ethers; and then (f) and (g): (f) contacting the first crude triarylmethyl halide component with hydrogen halide to convert the one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds to triarylmethyl halide, thereby forming a purified triarylmethyl halide component; and (g) recovering the triarylmethyl halide from the output of step (f). (a) triarylmethylating the sucrose in the presence of an amine to form 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose and triarylmethylated sucrose byproducts; (b) acylating the 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose in the presence of an amine to form a 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose pentaester and triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts; (c) separating from the output of step (b) (i) the 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose pentaester, and (ii) a mixture comprising the triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts and the amine of step (b); either (d) and (e): (i) the 6,1',6'-tri-O-triarylmethylsucrose pentaester, and (ii) a mixture comprising the triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts and the amine of step (b); either (d) and (e): (d) contacting a first byproduct component comprising the mixture of step (c) ii) with aqueous hydrogen halide under conditions sufficient to remove the amine therefrom, thereby forming a washed byproduct component comprising one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities; (e) contacting the washed byproduct component with hydrogen halide to cleave triarylmethyl groups from the one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities and thereby form a first crude triarylmethyl halide component comprising triarylmethyl halide and one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds selected from the group consisting of triarylmethyl alcohol, triarylmethyl esters, and triarylmethyl ethers; or (d') and (e'): (d') contacting a first byproduct component comprising the mixture of step (c) ii) with aqueous base under conditions sufficient to deacylate the triarylmethylated sucrose ester byproducts, and stripping the first byproduct component under conditions sufficient to remove substantially all of the amine of step (b), thereby forming a deacylated byproduct component comprising one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities; (e') contacting the deacylated byproduct component with hydrogen halide to cleave triarylmethyl groups from the one or more triarylmethylated sucrose impurities and thereby form a first crude triarylmethyl halide component comprising triarylmethyl halide and one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds selected from the group consisting of triarylmethyl alcohol, triarylmethyl esters, and triarylmethyl ethers; and then (f) and (g): (f) contacting the first crude triarylmethyl halide component with hydrogen halide to convert the one or more spent triarylmethyl compounds to triarylmethyl halide, thereby forming a purified triarylmethyl halide component; and (g) recovering the triarylmethyl halide from the output of step (f).