Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated fats: Group VIB metal carbonyl complexes

Carbonyl complexes of Cr, Mo and W have been studied as soluble catalysts for the hydrogenation of methyl sorbate and of methyl esters from soybean oil. With methyl sorbate, relative catalytic activity decreased in the approximate order: mesitylene-Mo(CO)₃, cycloheptatriene-Mo(CO)₃, cycloheptatriene-Cr(CO)₃, bicyclo (2,2,1) hepta-2,5-diene-Mo(CO)₄, chlorobenzene-Cr(CO)₃, methyl benzoate-Cr(CO)₃, mesitylene-W(CO)₃, benzene-Cr(CO)₃, toluene-Cr(CO)₃, mesitylene-Cr(CO)₃, and hexamethylbenzene-Cr(CO)₃. Order of catalytic activity was related to thermal stability of the complexes during hydrogenation. With mesitylene-M(CO)₃ complexes, selectivity varied in the order Cr>Mo>W. Under certain conditions the mesitylene complexes of W, Cr and Mo reduced methyl sorbate respectively to methyl 2-, 3-, and 4-hexenoates as main products. The more active and thermally stable Cr(CO)₃ complexes catalyzed effectively the hydrogenation of linoleate and linolenate in soybean oil esters with little or no stearate formation. The hydrogenated products formed with the benzoate complex at 165–175 C contained 50–67% monoene, 18–30% diene, 2–7% conjugated diene, and only 3–7%trans unsaturation. Linolenate-linoleate selectivity values varied from 3 to 5 and linoleate-oleate selectivity from 7 to 80. Monoene fractions had 40–50% of the double bond in the C-9 position; the rest of the unsaturation was distributed mainly between the C-10 and C-12 positions. Conjugation is apparently an intermediate step in the hydrogenation of linoleate and linolenate. The Cr(CO)₃ complexes are unique in catalyzing the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty esters to monounsaturated fatty esters of lowtrans content. Presented at AOCS-AACC Joint Meeting, Washington, D.C. April, 1968. No. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Cis-Unsaturated fatty acid products by hydrogenation with chromium hexacarbonyl

The use of Cr(CO)₆ was investigated to convert polyunsaturated fats intocis unsaturated products. With methyl sorbate, the same order of selectivity for the formation ofcis-3-hexenoate was demonstrated for Cr(CO)₆ as for the arene-Cr(CO)₃ complexes. With conjugated fatty esters, the stereoselectivity of Cr(CO)₆ toward thetrans, trans diene system was particularly high in acetone. However, this solvent was not suitable at elevated temperatures required to hydrogenatecis, trans- andcis, cis-conjugated dienes (175 C) and nonconjugated soybean oil (200 C). Reaction parameters were analyzed statistically to optimize hydrogenation of methyl sorbate and soybean oil. To achieve acceptable oxidative stability, it is necessary to reduce the linolenate constituent of soybean oil below 1–3%. When this is done commercially with conventional heterogenous catalysts, the hydrogenated products contain more than 15%trans unsaturation. By hydrogenating soybean oil with Cr(CO)₆ (200 C, 500 psi H₂, 1% catalyst in hexane solution), the product contains less than 3% each of linolenate andtrans unsaturation. Recycling of Cr(CO)₆ catalyst by sublimation was carried through three hydrogenations of soybean oil, but, about 10% of the chromium was lost in each cycle by decomposition. The hydrogenation mechanism of Cr(CO)₆ is compared with that of arene-Cr(CO)₃ complexes. Presented in part at Seventh Conference on Catalysis in Organic Syntheses, Chicago, Illinois, June 5–7, 1978.     

Interstitial iron(II)-chloride compounds with graphite—I.: Formation by reduction of iron(III)-compounds with Fe(CO)5

A graphite intercalation compound of FeCl₂ with a composition of 1 Fe:4.7 C, closely approaching the theoretically limiting stoichiometry FeCl₂C_4.22, is obtained by the reduction of the intercalation compound FeCl₃C_7.1 with Fe(CO)₅ under 150 atm of CO at 150°C. The FeCl₂-compound is characterized by its X-ray powder pattern and Mössbauer spectra. The distance between carbon layers increases from 9.40 Å in FeCl₃C_7.1 to 9.56 in FeCl₂C_4.73 by this reduction reaction. Carbon monoxide reduces FeCl₃C_7.1 at 150°C in a sluggish reaction which occurs under removal of iron chlorides from the intercalation compound in contrast to the reduction by Fe(CO)₅, which increases the Fe:C ratio.     

Homogenous catalytic conjugation of polyunsaturated fats by chromium carbonyls

Various arene-Cr (CO)₃ complexes and Cr(CO)₆ are effective soluble catalysts for the conjugation of polyunsaturated fats. Methyl benzoate-Cr(CO)₃ is one of the most active catalysts. The following conjugation levels were obtained: methyl linoleate, 65%; methyl linolenate, 45%; the polyunsaturates in soybean and safflower oils, 73%; and in linseed oil 48%. Conjugated dienes from linoleate were predominantlycis,trans in configuration. Their double bonds were distributed between C₅ and C₁₆ of the fatty acid chain. Hydrogenation and dehydrogenation are side reactions, which seem to limit the yield of conjugated dienes from methyl linoleate. A conjugation mechanism is proposed that involves allyl-HCr(CO)₃ complexes as intermediates undergoing 1,3- and 1,5-hydrogen shifts. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, San Francisco, April 1969. No, Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated fats: Iron Pentacarbonyl

Iron pentacarbonyl is an effective homogeneous catalyst for the reduction of polyunsaturated fats. Hydrogenation of soybean oil and its methyl esters has been achieved at 180C, hydrogen pressures of 100-1,000 psi, and 0.05–0.5 molar concentrations of catalyst. Analyses of partially reduced products show considerable isomerization of double bonds, reduction of linolenate and linoleate with little or no increase in stearate, and accumulation ofcis,trans- andtrans, trans-conjugated dienes, and isolatedtrans monoenes. The unreduced trienes include diene conjugated fatty esters. The nonconjugated dienes contain large amounts oftrans and nonalkali conjugatable unsaturation. Considerable scattering of double bonds is evident in different fractions between the C₄ and C₁₆ positions. Complex formation between iron carbonyl and unsaturated fats is also indicated. The course of the homogeneous hydrogenation catalyzed by iron pentacarbonyl appears similar to the heterogeneous catalytic reaction. Metal carbonyls are well known for their isomerizing effects and their ability to form stable complexes with olefins. These homogeneous complexes provide suitable model systems to study the mechanism of catalytic hydrogenation of fats.     

A rapid method for the estimation oftrans unsaturation in hydrogenated oils and fats

Glycerides and methyl esters of fatty acids containingtrans unsaturation both show peaks at 10,38 μ. The absorptivities of the glycerides (a_10.38 μ) have a straight line relationship with the concentration of thetrans unsaturation, calculated as methyl elaidate. This relationship has been utilized as a quick method for estimating thetrans unsaturation in hydrogenated fats such as Vanaspati. The infrared spectrum of a given hydrogenated fat is taken in the region of 9–11 μ, the absorptivity at thetrans-peak is calculated, and the corresponding methyl elaidate content is read from a graph.     

Coal liquefaction using iron complexes as catalysts

Hydroliquefaction of Japanese Miike and Taiheiyo coals was carried out using various iron complexes as catalysts in tetralin at 375–445 °C. Iron pentacarbonyl (Fe(CO)₅) showed the highest catalytic activity, increasing coal conversion by about 10% at 425 °C under an initial hydrogen pressure of 5 MPa. Amounts of hydrogen transferred to coal increased from 1.4–2.3 wt% of daf coal in the absence of the catalyst to 2.5–4.2 wt% of daf coal in the presence of Fe(CO)₅ at 425 °C.     

cis-bond-producing hydrogenation of polyunsaturates catalyzed by polymer-complexed Cr(CO)3 catalysts

cis-Bond-producing chromium carbonyl catalysts were prepared by complexing conventional or macroreticular, styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers or cross-linked poly (vinyl benzoate) with Cr(CO)₆. With one exception, these polymer-Cr(CO)₃ catalysts were as selective as the corresponding homogeneous arene-Cr(CO)₃ complexes for the formation ofcis-monoenes from methyl sorbate and from conjugated, polyunsaturated fatty esters in cyclohexane. Although several of the polymer catalysts were very active when fresh, they all lost activity on recycling. They could not be recycled more than two times before a marked decrease in activity occurred due to loss of Cr, as shown by elemental analysis and infrared absorption in the recovered catalyst. Thermal analysis indicated instability of the polymer complexes at hydrogenation temperatures.     

The determination ofTrans isomers in GLC fractions of unsaturated esters

The determination of the amount oftrans unsaturated isomers present in collected fractions of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters separated by gas liquid chromatography is accomplished by measuring the infrared absorbances of the collected peak at 10.36 and 8.55 μ. The ratio of these two absorbances is proportional to thetrans unsaturation. The interfering polyester column bleed is removed from the collected peaks by collection on alumina and elution into the spectrophotometer cell with CS₂.     

Comparison of FTIR and capillary gas chromatographic methods for quantitation oftrans unsaturation in fatty acid methyl esters

A computer-assisted method has been developed for estimation of isolatedtrans unsaturation using the peak area of thetrans absorbance band at 966 cm-1from FTIR spectra of fatty acid methyl esters. Peak areas were used to determine thetrans content of weighed standards containing from 0 to 100% methyl elaidate and of hydrogenated soybean oil samples containing up to 36%trans unsaturation. These data for percenttrans by FTIR were compared to corresponding data obtained by capillary gas chromatography and the AOCS Official Method 14-61. Determination of isolatedtrans composition in oils using peak areas gave values with the smallest standard deviation for weighed standards and values within 4% of those obtained by capillary gas chromatography and the AOCS Official Method for hydrogenated samples. Presented at the AOCS meeting in Phoenix, AZ in May 1988. To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Hydroliquefaction of low-sulfur coals using iron carbonyl complexes—Sulfur as catalysts

Hydroliquefaction of low-sulfur Australian coals (Wandoan and Yallourn) was studied using iron carbonyl complexes as catalyst. The addition of Fe(CO)₅ (2.8 wt% Fe of coal) increased coal conversion from 48.6 to 85.2% for Wandoan coal, and from 36.7 to 69.7% for Yallourn coal in 1-methylnaphthalene at 425°C under an initial hydrogen pressure of 50 kg cm^?2. When molecular sulfur was added to iron carbonyls (Fe(CO)₅, Fe₂(CO)₉ and Fe₃(CO)₁₂), higher coal converions ( > 92%) and higher oil yields (>46%) were obtained, along with an increase in the amount of hydrogen transferred to coal from the gas phase (0.2 to 2.8%, d.a.f. coal basis). In the liquefaction studies using a hydrogen donor solvent, tetralin, Fe(CO)₅S catalyst increased the amount of hydrogen absorbed from the gaseous phase and decreased the amount of naphthalene dehydrogenated from tetralin. The direct hydrogen transfer reaction from molecular hydrogen to coal fragment radicals seems to be a major reaction pathway. Organic sulfur compounds, dimethyldisulfide and benzothiophene, and inorganic FeS₂ and NiS were found to be good sulfur sources to Fe(CO)₅. From X-ray diffraction analyses of liquefaction residues, it is concluded that Fe(CO)₅ was converted into pyrrhotite (Fe_1?xS) when sulfur was present, but into Fe₃O₄ in the absence of sulfur.     

Synthesis of magnetite powder from iron ore tailings

Iron ore tailing—a waste material of mineral beneficiation plants, is used as a source of iron for synthesizing magnetite powder. Iron ore tailings containing 15.98% Fe₂O₃, 83.36% SiO₂ and 0.44% Al₂O₃ have been subjected to HCl digestion on a hot plate to extract the entire amount of Fe₂O₃ as FeCl₃. A portion of extracted FeCl₃ solution has been used to convert it to FeCl₂ via metallic iron formation by using NaBH₄ as a reducing reagent. Then, the left out FeCl₃ solution and derived FeCl₂ solutions (from FeCl₃) are mixed in an appropriate molar ratio (2:1) for synthesizing magnetite powder by the addition of alkali solution. The magnetite powder samples have been characterized by means of powder XRD, SEM, vibrating sample magnetometer and laser particle size analyzer. XRD study confirms the formation of magnetite phase. The magnetite particles synthesized in different ways show varying degrees of magnetization behavior which is attributed to the change in their particle size induced by the use of different precipitating reagents.     

Determination ofcis unsaturation in oils by near infrared spectroscopy

An analytical method has been developed capable of giving reproducible and accurate determinations of thecis unsaturation present in refined oils, hydrogenated oils, and finished shortenings. Molar absorptivity measurements indicate that similar methods are applicable to the analyses of mixed esters or fatty acids. The method depends upon the measurement of a band in the near infrared at 2.143 μ that is caused bycis unsaturation. The following pertinent conclusions are drawn from data obtained in this investigation.

1. The areas under the absorption bands forcis polyenes are integral multiples of the areas under the bands ofcis monoenes.
2. Thecis content of oils containing less than 10%trans triglycerides can be determined accurately by measuring the area under the absorption band.
3. Accurate results can be obtained for samples containing quantities oftrans fatty acids in excess of 10% if a point baseline is used and the peak absorbance measured.

     

cis-trans isomerization of unsaturated fatty acids withp-toluenesulfinic acid

Elaidination of unsaturated fatty acids usingp-toluenesulfinic acid yielded 77–80% totaltrans unsaturation in the products. Results from reactions with monoene, diene, and triene isomers indicated that only geometric isomerization takes place. Each double bond isomerized randomly and independently in the polyunsaturated fatty acids. Reactions proceeded quickly, and the method proved convenient and reliable.     

Conjugation of soybean oil by decomposition of its iron tricarbonyl complex with carbon monoxide

Soybean and other vegetable oils are conjugated by decomposing their iron tricarbonyl complexes with carbon monoxide at elevated pressures. This procedure converts the iron tricarbonyl moiety of the complex into iron pentacarbonyl, which is recovered for reuse. When iron carbonyl-complexed soybean oil is heated at 180–200C at CO pressures of 1090–3750 psi, 90–97% of the complex is decomposed into Fe(CO)₅ and conjugated soybean oil. At 180C and 3600 psi CO, 84% of the Fe(CO)₅ is recovered, and 82% of the polyunsaturates in the oil is conjugated. At 200C and 1090 psi CO, 98% of the Fe(CO)₅ is recovered, but the oil is less conjugated (75%). The studies point the way to a possibly economical process for conjugating vegetable oils by consecutive reactions with Fe(CO)₅ and CO.     

Photo-activated metal carbonyl complexes as stereoselective catalysts for the homogeneous hydrogenation of dienes

Significantly increased activity of Cr(CO)₆ was achieved for the stereoselective homogeneous hydrogenation of methyl sorbate andtrans,trans-conjugated fatty esters at ambient temperature and pressure by exposing the catalyst to UV irradiation (3500 Å) in a solvent mixture of cyclohexane-acetonitrile (20:1). In this solvent mixture, methyl sorbate was converted quantitatively at ambient conditions into methylcis-3-hexenoate, and methyltrans-9,trans-11-octadecadienoate into methylcis-10-octadecenoate (99.9%). These products are expected by 1,4-addition of hydrogen. Under these conditions no hydrogenation of methyl linoleate occurred. Under the same conditions, cycloheptatriene-Cr(CO)₃ showed lower activity than Cr(CO)₆, and Mo(CO)₆ and mesitylene-Mo(CO)₃ showed no significant activity toward conjugated substrates. When Cr(CO)₆ and Mo(CO)₆ were irradiated at 2537 Å they caused the geometric isomerization of methyl sorbate without hydrogenation, but had no effect on methyl linoleate. A hydrogenation mechanism is proposed for Cr(CO)₆ that involves CH₃CN- and H₂-Cr(CO)₃ complexes as intermediates for the stereoselective 1,4-addition of hydrogen totrans,trans-conjugated dienes.     

Porous carbon as support for iron and ruthenium catalysts

Iron and ruthenium catalysts have been supported on a porous carbon prepared by pyrolysis and activation of the copolymer Saran. For comparison, a graphitized carbon black (V3G) has also been used as support for both metals. The catalysts have been characterized by chemisorption of H₂ and CO₂ at 298 K (373 K in some cases) and by X-ray line broadening. The hydrogen chemisorption on iron catalysts was very low and increased with adsorption temperature, whereas the CO chemisorption results indicate the formation of subcarbonyl species. However, H₂ and CO uptakes led to similar dispersion values for the ruthenium catalysts. The X-ray results were in good agreement with the chemisorption results except in the case of highly dispersed Fe catalysts. The results obtained in the hydrogenation of CO indicate that in the case of Fe catalysts the highest selectivity toward hydrocarbons was given by the catalyst supported on V3G, with large metal particle size which, at the same time, exhibited a lower decrease in activity with reaction time than the other Fe catalysts with smaller average particle size. The olefin/paraffin ratio is very large for the catalyst prepared from Fe(CO)₅.The Ru catalysts are essentially of the methanation type.     

Quantitative determination of double bond positions in unsaturated fatty acids after oxidative cleavage

The position and amt of unsaturation in fatty acids have been determined, especially in pure fractions of partially hydrogenated fats. In developing a quantitative method for determination of ethylenic bonds in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids several procedures were combined. Key features include oxidative cleavage; recovery of cleaved acids as salts; and their conversion to methyl, ethyl or butyl esters for programmed gas-liquid chromatographic analysis. Monobasic analyses closely agree with the corresponding dibasic analyses, except neither malonic nor propionic acid has been quantitatively estimated. Analyses are shown for cleavage of high purity oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids; forcis andtrans monoenates; and for conjugated and nonconjugated dienoates. Demonstrated are the accuracy, precision and applicability of the procedure to a wide range of pure fractions isolated after both heterogeneous and homogeneous partial catalytic hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Presented at AOCS Meeting in New Orleans, 1964. A laboratory of the No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Identification of nine acetylenic fatty acids, 9-hydroxystearic acid and 9,10-epoxystearic acid in the seed oil ofJodina rhombifolia hook et arn. (Santalaceae)

In addition to some usual fatty acids, the seed oil ofJodina rhombifolia (Santalaceae) contains nine acetylenic fatty acids [9-octadecynoic acid (stearolic acid) (1.1%),trans-10-heptadecen-8-ynoic acid (pyrulic acid) (20.1%), 7-hydroxy-trans-10-heptadecen-8-ynoic acid (2.3%),trans-10,16-heptadecadien-8-ynoic acid (0.7%), 7-hydroxy-trans-10,16-heptadecadien-8-ynoic acid (0.1%),trans-11-octadecen-9-ynoic acid (ximenynic acid) (20.3%), 8-hydroxy-trans-11-octadecen-9-ynoic acid (12.2%),trans-11,17-octadecadien-9-ynoic acid (1.5%), 8-hydroxy-trans-11,17-octadecadien-9-ynoic acid (1.3%), 9-hydroxystearic acid (<0.1%) and 9,10-epoxystearic acid (0.7%)]. The fatty acids have been analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of their methyl ester and 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives. The hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters have been examined also as trimethyl-silyl ethers. Furthermore, the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) have been fractionated according to their polarity (FAME-A: nonhydroxy; FAME-B: hydroxy fatty acids) and to their degree of unsaturation (FAME-A1/A2; FAME-B1/B2) by preparative thin-layer chromatography and argentation chromatography, respectively. All of these fractions have been analyzed by ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy, and the fractions FAME-A and FAME-B have been analyzed further by nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H,¹³C, 2D H/C, attached proton test) spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. This work is dedicated to the 65th birthday of Prof. Dr. K. Pfeilsticker, Institut of Food Science, University Bonn (Germany).     

Fatty acids of cows' milk. A. Techniques employed in supplementing gas-liquid chromatography for identification of fatty acids

Milk fat methyl esters were subjected to distillation and silicic acid column chromatography to provide fractions of less complexity for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis. It was still necessary however to employ supplemental techniques for identification. Chromatograms were obtained with polyester columns of different polarity on all the fractions and necessary reference samples. While many of the components were identified in the usual way by plots of relative retention time versus number of carbon atoms, iodine values for total unsaturation and ultraviolet spectrophotometry for conjugated and nonconjugated polyunsaturated acids were essential for positive identification of some components. Similarly, examination by infrared spectrophotometry confirmed the presence or absence of conjugated diene ascis-trans, trans-trans or both. Isolatedtrans or terminal double bonds were also determined in this way. Gas-liquid chromatograms of some fractions showed incompletely resolved peaks attributable to the presence of methyl esters of odd-carbon atom, branched-chain, and unsaturated acids. Hydrogenation and rechromatographing provided more positive determination of the structure of these components. Further confirmation of identity of some peaks on the chromatogram was achieved by collection of the appropriate fractions and examination of the collected material. At least 60 fatty acids were identified, including several not previously reported, such as odd-numbered carbon chain length monoethenoid acids from C₁₅ to C₂₃. Presented at the 53rd Meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society, October 17–19, 1960, New York. Eastern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.