Effect of Pressure on the Alcoholysis of Triacylglycerol

Abstract

The pressure effect of alcoholysis of triacylglycerol was studied in the absence of a catalyst. The methanolysis of trilauroylglycerol was accelerated greatly by compression when the solvents that include chlorines in a molecule were used. There was no significant difference in the pressure effect among the three steps of which the methanolysis of trilauroylglycerol composed. The order of the pressure effect of alcohol on the alcoholysis of trilauroylglycerol was methyl alcohol>other primary alcohol>secondary alcohol>tertiary alcohol. On the methanolysis in CH₂Cl₂, trioleoylglycerol was accelerated by pressure more than trilauroylglycerol, and trimilistoylglycerol and tripalmitoylglycerol had a similar pressure effect to trilauroylglycerol, whereas methanolysis of tristearoylglycerol had a peculiar pressure effect.