Hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids to unsaturated fatty alcohols: III. Comparison of different soap catalyst systems

Copper oleate and cadmium oleate catalysts have been replaced by other metal compounds. Silver was the only metal which could be substituted for copper in the ratio range studied. Using nickel oleate, the degree of saturation of the double bond decreased with increasing cadmium oleate concentration. No comparable substitute was found for Cd. The composition of the final components is influenced by the use of a paraffinic solvent, which also has an effect on the saturation of the double bond. An explanation is given for the behavior of the catalyst when the reaction is not selective and is carried out in a paraffinic solvent. The catalytic system Ag/Cd soaps was also studied kinetically and analytically. The results show that the mechanism of the reaction using silver soap is identical with the one using copper soap.