With increased awareness of the need for sustainability and green chemistry, there has been an increasing interest in using plant oils as raw materials for the production of value-added products.  In this poster, a review is made of the various structural modifications made on plant oils in the authors’ laboratories using a number of reaction pathways.  The reactions include Diels-Alder, ene reaction, transesterification, acid or enzymatic hydrolysis, heat-bodying reaction, epoxidation, formation of acetonide, aminohydrin, and azidohydrin, click reaction, and polymerization.  Many of these reaction pathways produce new triglyceride structures not previously reported.  The properties of selected products have been tested, particularly in lubricant applications to enhance viscosity, thermal stability, or mechanical wear.  Commercial feasibility of these products will depend on the price and the availability of plant oils relative to petroleum crude, the cost-effectiveness of the new products, and the response from manufacturers of petroleum-based products.<br/>

Novel structural modifications of plant oils

249th National Meeting (2015)

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