The kinetics of the hydrogenation of triglycerides

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary: Highly purified oleic acid was prepared from virgin grade olive oil and converted into a highly purified synthetic triolein by a direct esterification procedure. The triolein was hydrogenated at varying temperatures and pressures in the presence of nickel and a number of samples were withdrawn for analysis at carefully noted time‐intervals.The kinetics of the catalytic hydrogenation of triolein was analyzed. A mechanism was proposed for the course of the reaction involving three chemical species and the rate laws governing this mechanism were developed. The mechanism proposed along with the postulation that the effectiveness of the catalyst, as expressed by the terma, increases as the reaction proceeds was in theory sufficient to explain the experimental data. The reaction was first‐order at a temperature of 125°C.; however at higher temperatures the reaction was found to be somewhat more complex. The kinetic study substantiated the existence of an equilibrium betweencis andtrans isomers over part of the reaction.