5-tetradecyloxolan-2-one

Conditions: temp:0.00; pressure:0.00; stir:; See reaction.notes.procedure_details.

Procedure: One hundred grams of 98% oleic acid were heated in an autoclave at 220° C. for 3 hours in the presence of 10 grams of clay (bentonite), 70 grams of isobutane and 200 grams of 1,2-dichloroethane. Maximum pressure reached was 700 p.s.i. The autoclave was cooled, the isobutane released, catalyst removed by filtration, and the 1,2-dichloroethane removed at a reduced pressure of about 0.05 mm. The crude product mixture was distilled to give 69 grams of distillate and 31 grams of polymerized acids. The monomeric distillate was fractionated by urea adduction to give 53 grams of branched chain fatty acids, 8 grams of straight chain fatty acids and 8 grams of γ-stearolactone. GLC of the straight chain fraction showed it to be mostly saturated. The branched chain acids were C18 by GLC. The autoclave was cooled catalyst removed by filtration the 1,2-dichloroethane removed at a reduced pressure of about 0.05 mm The crude product mixture was distilled to give 69 grams of distillate and 31 grams of polymerized acids