The oxidation of monoethenoid fatty acids and esters. The preparation and catalytic autoxidation of ricinoleic acid

Abstract

A solvent extraction process using light petroleum has been adopted for preparation of pure ricinoleic acid from castor oil.The non‐catalytic and catalytic autoxidation of ricinoleic acid by gaseous oxygen at 120° has been studied in relation to the type and concentration of catalyst, and complex changes occurring have been investigated.The products of autoxidation at 120° using uranium and cobalt soap catalysts have been examined and the mechanism of the reaction is discussed in relation to the end products.Ricinoleic acid forms hydroperoxides which yield scisson products on decomposition. At 120° degradation of the molecule occurs with evolution of carbon dioxide and water and it is probable that rupture occurs at the ethenoid linkage and at hydroperoxide groups. Complex, oily components of high molecular weight are formed by recombination of scisson products. In the absence of oxygen, ricinoleic acid esterifies but does not dehydrate at 120°.

The Isolation of Ricinoleic Acid from Castor Oil by Salt‐solubility‐based Fractionation for the Biopharmaceutical Applications

“…It is simple to operate, flexible, and the capacity of equipment required for such process appears to be unlimited. This purification process may be easily automated and the capital cost for such technological attitude seems to be modest [9,10].…”

“…Liquid chromatography using a solid stationary phase is an effective method in terms of purity and yield. However, it is not practical for large scale purification processes due to high cost [10]. Successful isolation of the RA methyl ester by CCD was achieved by Berdeaux et al [11].…”

“…The aim of this study was to develop a scalable method for isolation of high quality RA by the salt-solubility approach for potential application in the biopharmaceutical synthesis. The design and selection of a purification scheme was based on considerations of efficiency of isolation, scalability, reproducibility, cost of materials and operating cost, as well as simplicity and flexibility [9,10]. The estimation of the quality of purified RA was performed in accordance with safety considerations.…”