PREPARATION OF SECONDARY ETHER FATTY ACIDS AND ESTERS FROM THEIR HYDROXY FATTY ACID EQUIVALENTS

摘要

The fatty ether compounds possess low viscosity and low temperature melting point properties and may be used as viscosity modifiers in cosmetics and vegetable oil based biodegradable hydraulic fluids and dielectric fluids. The fatty ethers are of formula (I) wherein R is selected from C7-C17 aliphatic hydrocarbons saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, and optionally substituted, with one or more hydroxy groups; R1 is selected from linear or branched C¿1?-C24 hydrocarbons saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, aliphatic or aromatic, and optionally substituted by one or more hydroxyl, halo, or amine groups; with the proviso that when R?1¿ is aromatic, it is limited to an optionally substituted six member carbon ring; and R¿2? is selected from hydrogen or from linear or branched C1-C24 hydrocarbons saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, aliphatic or aromatic, and optionally substituted by one ore more hydroxyl, halo, or amine groups; with the proviso that when R2 is aromatic, it is limited to an optionally substituted six member carbon ring; and x is an integer from 2 to 4. These fatty ester ether compounds are produced by reaction of the hydroxy fatty acid or lactone with an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. The fatty ether esters are recovered, or hydrolyzed to fatty ether acids, or transesterified with a different alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst to alternate ester variants.