X-ray diffraction study of some normal alkyl esters of long-chain acids

X-ray powder diffraction data are reported for 15 normal long-chain esters. The compounds represent all combinations of acid and alcohol where the acid portion is n-tetradecanoic, n-hexadecanoic, or n-octadecanoic acid, and the alcohol portion is n-tetradecanol, n-pentadecanol, n-hexadecanol, n-heptadecanol, or n-octadecanol. The individual compounds can be identified and distinguished by the diffraction data. Several of the esters have long spacings that are a linear function of the number of carbon atoms in the molecule and are consistent with a similar function for ethyl esters of long-chain acids. The remainder of the compounds crystallize in other polymorphic forms and therefore do not follow this function. Presented at AOCS Meeting, Philadelphia, October 1966. E. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.