| abstract |
Ricinoleic acid, or products containing it, e.g. castor oil, is treated with caustic alkalis in concentrated aqueous solution in the presence of alkali derivatives of phenolic compounds such as phenols, cresols, xylols and naphthols at elevated temperature to give principally sebacic or 10-hydroxyhexanoic acid or a mixture of these with other products such as octanol-2 or octonone-2. The alkali phenates, which act as solvents, may be prepared previously or in the reaction mixture. In the examples a mixture of caustic soda, tricresol, water and castor oil is heated; varying quantities, depending on the temperatures employed, of sebacic acid, hydroxydecanoic acid, octanone-2 and octanol-2 are obtained. |