ARS | Publication request: PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF LESQUERELLA OIL ESTOLIDES

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 28, 2002
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Lesquerella fendleri is a winter annual seed oil crop native to the desert southwestern United States and is currently undergoing an intensive research effort for its successful introduction into agriculture. Lesquerella produces a small seed that has 25-30% oil which contains 55-64% lesquerolic acid. Triglyceride-estolides were synthesized from the hydroxy moieties of lesquerella and castor oils with a series of saturated fatty acids and oleic acid. Estolides where one hydroxy moiety is esterified and estolides where all the hydroxy moieties are esterified were made. Typical reactions required stoichiometric amounts of fatty acid to oil and were run in the absence of catalyst or solvent. The reactions were performed either under a vacuum or under a nitrogen blanket depending on the chain length of the capping fatty acid. Complete esterifications were possible under these conditions in 24 to 48 hours at 200oC. Pour points, viscosity, viscosity index and oxidative stability were determined on both castor and lesquerella estolides. The triglyceride estolides had pour points between -15 to -39oC and cloud points between -5 to -45oC. Viscosities ranged between 100 to 216 cSt at 40oC with viscosity indices between 115 to 191. Rotating Bomb Oxidative Stability Test (RBOT) of the triglyceride estolides were compared with and without anti-oxidant present and correlated to the iodine value of the material. Lower iodine values gave longer RBOT times then their more unsaturated counterparts.