Decomposition kinetics of monoacyl glycerol and fatty acid in subcritical water under temperature-programmed heating conditions

The decompositions of monocaprylin, monocaprin, monolaurin and their corresponding fatty acids in subcritical water were measured under temperature-programmed heating conditions where the reaction temperature was linearly increased from room temperature to 350 °C at specified rates to estimate the activation energies E_i and the frequency factors k_i0 for the decompositions. The decompositions of both monoacyl glycerol and fatty acid obeyed first-order kinetics, and the decomposition of a monoacyl glycerol proceeded consecutively to form its constituent fatty acid and then further decomposition compounds. There was a tendency for both the E_i and k_i0 values for a monoacyl glycerol or fatty acid with a longer acyl chain to be smaller, and it was shown that the enthalpy–entropy compensation held for the decompositions of monoacyl glycerols and fatty acids as well as for those of fatty acid esters with various acyl and alkyl chains in subcritical water.