Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Castor Oil

• Autores: Hanan Alwaseem, Craig J. Donahue, Simona Marincean
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 91, Nº 4, 2014, págs. 575-578
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The main thickening agent or soap in multipurpose grease, lithium 12- hydroxystearate, is a chemical commodity for the auto industry. This compound is obtained from castor oil via a series of chemical transformations. The first step, hydrogenation of castor oil, has been developed into a laboratory experiment for second-year undergraduate organic chemistry. Students are introduced to catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) as a method to reduce a carbon-carbon double bond in ricinoleic acid, the main fatty acid in castor oil. Students perform a comparative analysis based on calculation of several green metrics: atom economy, E factor, reaction mass efficiency, CO2 emissions, and costs. The product, hydrogenated castor oil, is characterized by several techniques: 1 H NMR and IR spectroscopy, and melting point.