US8609876: 9,10,12-triacyloxy octadecanoic acid alkyl ester and 9,10,12-triacyloxy octadecanoic acid alkyl ester rich fatty acid alkyl esters mixture and a process for preparation thereof

The invention relates to modification of the chemical structure of ricinoleic acid, which is present to an extent of 85-90% in castor oil into triacyloxy alkyl ester derivatives. Accordingly, 9,10,12-trihydroxy octadecanoic acid rich fatty acid mixture was prepared from castor oil and converted to their alkyl esters followed by acylation of hydroxy groups. The 9,10,12-triacyloxy octadecanoic acid alkyl esters were purified from the crude product and characterized by 1H NMR studies. The crude products were also evaluated for acid value (A.V.), hydroxyl value (H.V.), iodine value (I.V.), viscosity, viscosity index (V.I.), pour point, flash point and copper strip corrosion and found to be potential base stocks for hydraulic, metal working fluids and other industrial fluids.