Langyou Chemical
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How Stearic Acid Is Produced
The preparation of stearic acid
The method of preparing stearic acid is mostly started from natural oils. Natural oils, often in the genus of triglycerides, are combined with fatty acids.
At the beginning of the preparation, the method of hydrolysis is often used. The oil and water are co-placed, and a specific catalyst is used to assist it. This catalyst is either acidic, alkaline, or enzymatic. Under suitable temperature and pressure, the oil is hydrolyzed, triglycerides are divided, glycerol is separated, and fatty acids are retained.
If an alkaline catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide, is used, this hydrolysis process is called saponification reaction. The oil and the alkali are heated together, and the reaction is completed to obtain fatty acid salts and glycerol. Then the fatty acid is treated with acid to adjust its pH, and stearic acid is precipitated.
Enzymes are also used as catalysts. Enzymes are highly specific and efficient, and can promote oil hydrolysis under mild conditions. However, the activity of enzymes is easily affected by temperature and pH, so the reaction environment needs to be carefully regulated.
Furthermore, the fatty acids obtained by hydrolysis are often mixed, and stearic acid coexists with various fatty acids. To obtain pure stearic acid, it must be purified by fractionation, crystallization, etc. During fractionation, according to the different boiling points of each fatty acid, the fractions are collected at a specific temperature range, and stearic acid is enriched. The method of crystallization uses the change of solubility of stearic acid in different solvents, cooling crystallization, or evaporation of solvent crystallization to obtain relatively pure stearic acid.
In summary, the preparation of stearic acid is based on hydrolysis and supplemented by purification. After various steps, pure stearic acid can be obtained for industrial and daily use.
The method of preparing stearic acid is mostly started from natural oils. Natural oils, often in the genus of triglycerides, are combined with fatty acids.
At the beginning of the preparation, the method of hydrolysis is often used. The oil and water are co-placed, and a specific catalyst is used to assist it. This catalyst is either acidic, alkaline, or enzymatic. Under suitable temperature and pressure, the oil is hydrolyzed, triglycerides are divided, glycerol is separated, and fatty acids are retained.
If an alkaline catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide, is used, this hydrolysis process is called saponification reaction. The oil and the alkali are heated together, and the reaction is completed to obtain fatty acid salts and glycerol. Then the fatty acid is treated with acid to adjust its pH, and stearic acid is precipitated.
Enzymes are also used as catalysts. Enzymes are highly specific and efficient, and can promote oil hydrolysis under mild conditions. However, the activity of enzymes is easily affected by temperature and pH, so the reaction environment needs to be carefully regulated.
Furthermore, the fatty acids obtained by hydrolysis are often mixed, and stearic acid coexists with various fatty acids. To obtain pure stearic acid, it must be purified by fractionation, crystallization, etc. During fractionation, according to the different boiling points of each fatty acid, the fractions are collected at a specific temperature range, and stearic acid is enriched. The method of crystallization uses the change of solubility of stearic acid in different solvents, cooling crystallization, or evaporation of solvent crystallization to obtain relatively pure stearic acid.
In summary, the preparation of stearic acid is based on hydrolysis and supplemented by purification. After various steps, pure stearic acid can be obtained for industrial and daily use.
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