We present a protocol for the production of biodiesel and triacetin from vegetable oils and methyl acetate based on the dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC). In the presence of titanium n-butoxide as the catalyst, long chain triglycerides found in vegetable oil will swap their acyl and alkoxy substituents with the equimolar amount of methyl acetate. A complex library of mono-, di-, and various triglycerides will form; carefully reactive distillation of this mixture is expected to produce triacetin as the volatile product, leaving long-chain methyl esters�principal components of biodiesel�as the non-volatile residue. Thus, a single distillation produces two value-added products: biodiesel and triacetin, which is a valuable food additive that�unlike glycerine�does not �gum up� engines.

Production of biodiesel from vegetable oil and methyl acetate through distillative self-sorting

247th National Meeting (2014)

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