Kinetic Study on Oxirane Cleavage of Epoxidized Palm Oil

A ring-opened product (EPO-HOAc) was prepared using epoxidized palm oil (EPO) and acetic acid (HOAc). The kinetics of the oxirane cleavage of EPO were investigated at 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 degrees C, respectively, in the presence of HOAc. The rate equation of oxirane cleavage was as follows: r = k[Ep][CH(3)COOH](1.6) ([Ep] is the molar concentration of oxiranes, [CH(3)COOH] is the molar concentration of HOAc), and the activation energy of oxirane cleavage was 40.28 kJ mol(-1). The structure of EPO-HOAc was confirmed by FT-IR and (1)H NMR. The oxidative stability of EPO-HOAc was better than that of palm oil (PO), and the pour point of EPO-HOAc was lower than that of PO and EPO, which made EPO-HOAc more suitable for biodegradable lubricant materials than PO and EPO.