GC: n

CT: The production of biodiesel, or alkyl esters, is well known. There are three basic
routes to ester production from oils and fats:

• Base catalyzed transesterification of the oil with alcohol.
• Direct acid catalyzed esterification of the oil with methanol.
• Conversion of the oil to fatty acids, and then to Alkyl esters with acid catalysis.

S: http://biodiesel.org/docs/ffs-production/production-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=4 (last access: 27 December 2014)

N: 1. Transesterification is the conversion of a carboxylic acid ester into a different carboxylic acid ester.
When in ester is placed in a large excess of an alcohol along with presence of either an acid or a base there can be an exchange of alkoxy groups. The large excess of alcohol is used to drive the reaction forward. The most common method of transesterification is the reaction of the ester with an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst.
2. The exchange of alkoxy or ocyl groups between an ester and another compound, sometimes used to modify the properties of margarine and other fats.
3. Interesterification … brings about a molecular rearrangement in the fat. This manifests itself in changes both in melting characteristics and crystal type.
4. ester interchange: The Concise Chemical and Technical Dictionary (source BECHE) gives “ester interchange” as a synonym of “interesterification” and “transesterification”; however, according to the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology (source ENSCI, 1977, p. 27), “ester interchange” is a more specific concept referring to the conversion of one ester into another by reaction with a third ester.

S: 1. http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Organic_Chemistry/Esters/Reactions_of_Esters/Transesterification (last access: 27 December 2014). 2, 3 & 4. TERMIUMPLUS.

SYN:
S:

CR: biodiesel