Improved synthesis and characterization of saturated branched‐chain fatty acid isomers

The development of viable technologies for producing green products from renewable fats and oils is highly desirable since such materials can serve as replacements for non‐renewable and poorly biodegradable petroleum‐based products. Mixtures of saturated branched‐chain fatty acid isomers (sbc‐FAs), commonly referred to as isostearic acid, are important intermediates for the production of biodegradable lubricants, cosmetics, emollients, and hydraulic fluids. Present methods for producing sbc‐FAs, however, often give low yields of sbc‐FAs or sbc‐FA preparations with a high content of dimer acid fatty acid co‐products. This study reports an improved route to synthesizing sbc‐FAs from monounsaturated fatty acids using a modified H‐Ferrierite zeolite catalyst in conjunction with small amounts of triphenylphosphine additive. The yields of sbc‐FAs (up to 80 wt%) and co‐products (up to15 wt%) were determined using a modification of a previously reported GC method. A more detailed analysis of the distribution of sbc‐FA isomers in the products was made by the combined use of GC × GC‐TOF‐MS. Additionally, it was found that the H‐Ferrierite zeolite catalyst was recyclable and reusable up to 10 times without significant loss of activity and selectivity for sbc‐FAs.     

Zeolite‐catalyzed isomerization of oleic acid to branched‐chain isomers

Branched‐chain (bc) saturated fatty acids (SFA) have potential as oleochemical intermediates since they have better oxidative stability than linear unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and have better low‐temperature properties than linear SFA. Previous studies in converting UFA to bc‐FA using clay catalysts have resulted in only modest yields and conversions. Recent reports, however, have suggested that certain zeolites can be effective catalysts for converting UFA to bc‐FA in higher yields and conversions. In this work, we examined the scope and potential of the zeolite‐catalyzed synthesis of bc‐FA starting from readily available monounsaturated linear FA. Our results show that common UFA such as oleic acid can be converted to bc‐isomers using modified Ferrierite zeolite catalysts with high conversions (98%) and high selectivity (85%) and that the zeolite catalysts are reusable for at least three cycles. The positions of branching (methyl) on the FA chain were determined from the GC‐MS spectra of the picolinyl esters of the bc‐FA.     

Synthesis of alkyl‐branched fatty acids

Alkyl‐branched fatty compounds are of interest for industrial products in the cosmetics and lubricant areas. In this review, clay‐ and zeolite‐catalyzed isomerizations of unsaturated fatty compounds, especially of oleic acid, are discussed. While clay‐catalyzed reactions give most complex mixtures of dimeric fatty acids and of monomeric so‐called “isostearic acid”, the zeolite‐catalyzed process yields preferentially an isomeric mixture of isostearic acids having the methyl branch on the 8–14 positions of the alkyl chain. Synthetically useful additions of alkyl radicals can only be performed on ω‐unsaturated fatty compounds, whereas perfluoroalkyl iodides were added to fatty compounds with terminal as well as internal double bonds using electron transfer‐initiated radical addition reactions. Electrophilic additions of alkyl carbenium ions generated by decomposition of alkyl chloroformates by ethylaluminum sesquichloride give well‐defined alkyl‐branched oleochemicals with good yields.     

New process for the production of branched-chain fatty acids

Fatty acids are the primary natural starting materials for the production of surfactant and detergent molecules. Derived from vegetable (oil) and animal (fat) triglyceride sources, the fatty acids are linear aliphatic carboxylic acids. Industrial interest in branched-chain fatty acids is driven by the needs for products with enhanced performance benefits including higher solubility, ease of handling, better hard water tolerance, and improved oxidative stability. Therefore, catalytic processes have been developed for the conversion of linear fatty acids to branched ones. High yields of branched acids are obtained from unsaturated fatty acids over acidic zeolites, particularly those with large pores. Fatty esters also are readily isomerized to branched ones by means of the same catalyst and process. It is postulated that the isomerization of fatty acids proceeds through three- and four-membered ring carbocation intermediates formed inside the largepore zeolites. This is supported by evidence of methyl and ethyl branching in the primary and final products. The total number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid molecule is unchanged. Surfactants derived from branched fatty acids show favorable physical properties, including a lower viscosity and improved handling, even as intended performance characteristics are maintained.     

C18‐unsaturated branched‐chain fatty acid isomers: Characterization and physical properties

Iso‐oleic acid is a mixture of C₁₈‐unsaturated branched‐chain fatty acid isomers with a methyl group on various positions of the alkyl chain, which is the product of the skeletal isomerization reaction of oleic acid and is the intermediate used to make isostearic acid (C₁₈‐saturated branched‐chain fatty acid isomers). Methyl iso‐oleate, a mixture of C₁₈‐unsaturated branched‐chain fatty acid methyl ester isomers, is obtained via acid catalyzed esterification of iso‐oleic acid with methanol. The branched‐chain materials are liquid at room temperature and their “oiliness” property makes them an attractive candidate for the lubricant industry. In this paper, we report characterization of these branched‐chain materials using comprehensive two‐dimensional GC with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC/TOF‐MS) and their physical and lubricity properties using tribology measurements.     

由直链不饱和脂肪酸异构制备支链脂肪酸的研究进展

介绍了直链不饱和脂肪酸制备支链脂肪酸的研究现状,综述了脂肪酸异构机理,异构催化剂如白土催化剂、沸石催化剂,催化剂的筛选原则,着重讨论了各种常用沸石对于脂肪酸异构反应不同的影响以及现有的合成工艺。分析了脂肪酸的分离技术,包括精馏分离法、溶剂结晶法、尿素包结法、超临界流体萃取法的优缺点,指出沸石催化生产支链饱和脂肪酸的关键问题是需要解决混合脂肪酸作为原料反应的选择性问题,其相关的基础性工作,如更明确的反应机理和催化剂结构参数对反应的影响,仍是将来的研究方向。     

Liquid Phase Selective Catalytic Oxidation of Oleic Acid to Azelaic Acid Using Air and Transition Metal Acetate Bromide Complex

Industrially important di‐carboxylic acids are synthesized from mono‐carboxylic unsaturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In this study, the aim is to perform the simultaneous catalytic oxidative C=C cleavage of oleic acid (OA) to azelaic acid and pelargonic acid, and oxidation of the terminal methyl group in pelargonic acid to azelaic acid using cobalt‐ and manganese‐acetate as catalyst, hydrogen bromide as co‐catalyst and air in acetic acid at elevated pressure (2.8–5.8 barg) and temperature (353–383 K). Oxygen solubility is determined under varying pressure, temperature and OA loading. The effect of OA loading, pressure and temperature on OA conversion and azelaic acid selectivity is studied by varying one variable at a time; however, the presence of the synergistic effect of the catalyst and co‐catalyst is investigated by central composite design assisted response surface methodology. Oxidation of terminal methyl group in saturated fatty acid is also confirmed by the oxidation of stearic acid to octadecanedioic acid using identical oxidation conditions of OA. Oxidation products of fatty acids are quantified by gas chromatographic analysis. The innovation of the work is thus the ability of the catalytic system to perform a total oxidation of a terminal methyl group of the hydrocarbon chain. OA oxidation kinetics relating to catalyst and co‐catalyst concentration along with oxygen solubility at elevated temperature and pressure is established. The frequency factor and activation energy for OA oxidation is determined using the Arrhenius equation.     

Synthetic Base Stock Based on Guerbet Alcohols

Guerbet (β branched) alcohols of varying chain length of even carbon numbers were synthesized by using single linear fatty alcohols ranging from 1-octanol to 1-dodecanol. All Guerbet alcohols having fewer than 28 carbon atoms and are liquid at 0 °C due to β branching. Synthetic base oils were prepared by reacting commonly available unsaturated fatty acids and dicarboxylic acids with Guerbet alcohols using p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst. These base oils were characterized by physical and tribological properties like viscosity, viscosity index, pour point, flash point, wear scar, weld load, coefficient of friction etc. and compared with commercially available 150 and 500 N base oils.     

甘油与环己酮缩合反应催化剂的研究

通过比较Lewis酸、质子酸、无机酸酐、分子筛、酸化蒙脱土在催化甘油与环己酮缩合反应中的活性,研究了催化剂结构和性质对环己酮转化率和反应选择性的影响。结果表明,Lewis酸有较高的催化活性和稳定性,而且表现为L酸和B酸两种酸的催化形式。催化剂结构对环己酮转化率和反应选择性的影响为:(1)Lewis酸的构成:对相同阴离子的Lewis酸而言,其阳离子的L酸酸强度越强或水解程度越大,催化活性和2-羟甲基-1,4-二氧杂螺环[4,5]癸烷(产物a)的选择性越高;对相同阳离子的Lewis酸而言,其盐酸盐型的催化活性和产物a的选择性要高于硫酸盐型的;(2)水合硫酸盐的催化活性与其煅烧温度有关。催化活性和产物a的选择性最好的Lewis酸为AlCl3。当n(AlCl3)∶n(环己酮)∶n(甘油)=1∶10 000∶15 000,带水剂环己烷加入量为反应物总体积的47%,92℃回流反应2 h,环己酮转化率为97.9%;最终产物中产物a的选择性为97.8%。     

Investigation of the Physical and Tribological Properties of Iso-Oleic Acid

Oleic acid was isomerized into iso-oleic acid using a modified ferrite zeolite catalyst. The isomerization produced a mixture of iso-oleic acid isomers, with a methyl branching at the double bond, whose position has been randomly distributed along the fatty-acid chain. The effect of isomerization on the physical and tribological properties of iso-oleic acid relative to oleic acid was investigated. The neat fatty acids and their blends in polyalphaolefin (PAO-6) and high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSuO) base oils were used in the investigations. Relative to neat oleic acid, neat iso-oleic acid displayed: higher kinematic viscosity but lower viscosity index (VI) and acid number; lower pour point (PP) and cloud point (CP); better oxidation stability; similar four-ball (4-ball) antiwear friction and wear; and similar 4-ball extreme pressure weld point. Blends (0–10%, w/w) of iso-oleic and oleic acid in PAO-6 displayed the following similar trends with increasing concentration: mildly decreasing kinematic viscosity at 40 and 100 °C; increasing VI; lower coefficient of friction; and no change in wear. Blends (0–10%, w/w) of iso-oleic and oleic acid in HOSuO displayed the following similar trends: decreasing oxidation stability with increasing concentration; constant PP and CP with increasing concentration.     

Optimizing Reaction Conditions for the Isomerization of Fatty Acids and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters to Their Branch Chain Products

In order to improve the oxidative stability and cold flow properties of oleic acid or methyl oleate, branch chain isomerization was conducted using a beta zeolite catalyst. Reaction conditions of temperature (200–300 °C), pressure (0.1–3.0 MPa), and co-catalyst (0–2 wt%) were optimized based on branch chain conversion and the cloud point of the ester following the isomerization reaction of oleic acid or methyl oleate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatograph equipped with Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses were used to analyze and quantify the isomerization product samples, while the cloud point of each sample was tested. The lowest and therefore, best cloud point measured was −15.2 °C at conditions of 200 °C, 3 MPa, and 2% co-catalyst using methyl oleate as a starting material. The highest branch chain conversion achieved was 50% under conditions of 300 °C, 1.5 MPa and 0% co-catalyst using oleic acid as a starting material. The use of oleic acid and methyl oleate is based on whether it is optimal to carry out the skeletal isomerization before or after the esterification reaction. Performing the isomerization reaction on the ester was preferred over the fatty acid based on the trans isomerization and cloud point results. Reducing the unbranched trans isomers was desirable in obtaining a low cloud point.     

Monitoring of Changes in Composition of Soybean Oil During Deep-Fat Frying with Different Food Types

Changes in the composition of soybean oil during deep‐fat frying with wheat dough (WD) and chicken breast meat (CBM) were comparatively investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The amounts of saturated fatty acids (FAs) and short‐chain FAs were increased. The amount of unsaturated FAs was decreased as the processing time increased. An increase in the amount of tetradecanoic acid and 9‐cis‐hexadecanoic acid was observed during the CBM frying only. The FTIR spectrum of frying oil was analyzed by extracting the entire information as the area ratios based on vibration absorptions of the specific functional groups. Changes in content of functional groups, namely cis C=C, trans C=C, C=O, C–O, O–H, and C–H, were studied by the FTIR‐based method. Based on the changes in the content of FAs and functional groups, soybean oil fried with CBM degraded more quickly than that fried with WD. Moreover, good linear correlations between the change in contents of functional groups and the mass percentages of FAs were also observed. The FTIR‐based method could be used in real time to monitor the quality of frying oil during the deep‐fat frying.     

正构烷烃在Pt/SAPO-11催化剂上加氢异构反应性能

采用SAPO-11分子筛制备Pt/SAPO-11双功能加氢异构催化剂,以n-C₈、n-C₁₂和n-C₁₆为模型化合物考察正构烷烃的加氢异构反应性能。结果表明,所制备的催化剂具有较好的异构化活性和选择性,其中单甲基支链异构产物收率和总异构产物收率分别可达60%和75%以上,是低凝柴油和高档润滑油基础油的理想组分。不同链长正构烷烃的异构化产物分布基本一致,但链长较长的正构烷烃更容易发生异构化反应和裂解反应,在保证相同转化率条件下长链烷烃裂解产物收率偏高且异构选择性降低。     

单体酸混合物成分的GC-MS分析

研究了生产二聚酸时得到的副产品单体酸的化学组成的GC MS分析方法,样品首先用质量浓度为140g/L KOH M eOH进行甲酯化,然后用GC MS进行分析和鉴定,共鉴定出棕榈酸、肉豆蔻酸、10甲基月桂酸、12甲基十四烷酸、十八烯酸等13种物质,总脂肪酸的质量分数占76.71%,其中饱和酸占66.36%,不饱和酸占10.35%,其中直链酸占饱和脂肪酸的41.02%,支链酸即异构酸占饱和脂肪酸的58.98%。     

Synthesis of Fatty Acid Esters of Selected Higher Polyols Over Homogeneous Metallic Catalysts

Studies on the synthesis of esters of natural origin fatty acids (oleic acid) and a branched synthetic isostearic acid derived from oleic acid with commercially available selected higher polyols in the presence of homogeneous metallic catalysts have been carried out. The effects of the synthesis temperature, molar ratio and the catalysts amount have also been studied. It was shown that higher fatty acid conversion and selectivity to tri‐ and tetraesters were obtained for organotin catalyst Fascat 2003, which was used as the esterification catalyst. Anti‐wear test confirmed good tribological properties of the obtained esters.     

An efficient and expeditious synthesis of phytostanyl esters in a solvent‐free system

Esterification of natural phytostanols with various fatty acids by using Lewis acid‐surfactant combined catalyst was investigated. For synthesis of phytostanol esters of saturated fatty acids, cuprum dodecyl sulfate [Cu(DS)₂] was the most desirable catalyst due to its high selectivity, reusability, activity, and less corrosivity, whereas stanol selectivity with other catalysts, such as ZnCl₂ and tungstophosphoric acid. The substrate molar ratio of 1.2:1 (lauric acid/phytostanols) was the optimal. For synthesis of phytostanol esters of unsaturated fatty acids, cerium dodecyl sulfate [Ce(DS)₃] was better than [Cu(DS)₂] which was based on the oxidation of the unsaturated fatty acids during the reaction. The chemical structure of the sitostanyl stearate, sitostanyl oleate, and sitostanyl linoleate were confirmed by FTIR, MS, and NMR, respectively. As a result, the [Cu(DS)₂] and [Ce(DS)₃] were screened to synthesize phytostanyl esters of fatty acids for commercial production. Practical applications: Phytostanols are important for human health and nutrition. Unfortunately, due to the poor solubility of free stanols (unesterified) in fats and oils, there is a demand for a good way to improve the solubility or bioavailability of phytostanols, such as esterification of phytostanols with fatty acids. This study aims at finding an efficient and expeditious synthesis of phytostanyl esters. At the same time, environmental impact and the oxidation of the unsaturated fatty acids during the reaction should be considered.     

Fatty acid selectivity of lipases: Erucic acid from rapeseed oil

The fatty acid selectivity of several commercial lipases was evaluated in the hydrolysis of high-erucic acid rapeseed oil (HEARO). The lipase ofPseudomonas cepacia catalyzed virtually complete hydrolysis of the oil (94–97%), while that ofGeotrichum candidum discriminated strongly against erucic acid, especially in esterification. A two-step process is suggested for obtaining a highly enriched erucic acid in which theG. candidum lipase is employed to selectively esterify the fatty acid residues of unsaturated C-18, and shorter chain acids, from a mixture of HEARO fatty acids obtained from total hydrolysis of the oil withP. cepacia lipase.     

Oxidative decarboxylation of unsaturated fatty acids

Long‐chain internal olefins were prepared by silver(II)‐catalyzed oxidative decarboxylation of unsaturated fatty acids by sodium peroxydisulfate. Similar to saturated carboxylic acids, 1‐alkenes were the major decarboxylation product in the additional presence of copper(II), whereas in the absence of copper(II) alkanes were predominantly formed. In both cases, the internal unsaturation of the fatty acids remained largely intact, although the moderate yields indicated that side reactions occurred to a significant extent. The simple procedure makes this multistep one‐pot reaction useful for the synthesis of a variety of internally unsaturated hydrocarbons. The purified products, almost all of which are prepared for the first time, may serve as reference compounds for studies on the heterogeneously catalyzed decarboxylation of triglycerides and fatty acids in the absence of hydrogen. Practical applications: The products of the chemistry described in this contribution, i.e., unsaturated long‐chain hydrocarbons, provide bio‐based building blocks for further chemical modification toward products which may be applied as (bio)fuels, lubricants, solvents, and polymeric materials.     

Hydroconversion of Waste Cooking Oil into Bio‐Jet Fuel over a Hierarchical NiMo/USY@Al‐SBA‐15 Zeolite

The direct conversion of waste cooking oil (WCO) into bio‐jet fuel was investigated over a core‐shell hierarchical USY@Al‐SBA‐15 zeolite‐supported NiMo catalyst. The core‐shell structure showed better acid and pore size distributions. The synergetic effect of the core‐shell micropore and mesopore structure significantly contributed to enhancing the selectivity for the jet fuel (C_9–15 hydrocarbons) from 9.3 % over NiMo/USY up to 35.7 % over NiMo/USY@Al‐SBA‐15, with high isomerization (iso‐/n‐paraffins ratio = 2.7) and moderate aromatic fraction (18.7 %). The decarboxylation reaction was selectively enhanced. Optimal selectivity for jet fuel (39.7 %) was obtained at 380 °C and a high H₂/oil ratio would decrease the yield of jet fuel. This catalyst showed excellent stability for the hydroconversion of WCO to hydrocarbons.