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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Preparation of acetonides from soybean oil, methyl soyate, and fatty esters
Atanu Biswas1, Brajendra K Sharma, Karl Vermillion
1Plant Polymer Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, Illinois 61604, United States. atanu.biswas@ars.usda.gov
Abstract:
This paper describes the preparation of a new type of branched vegetable oil and its methyl ester that involves the formation of acetonides. A facile and environmentally friendly synthesis has been found to produce acetonides that entails the use of ferric chloride as a catalyst and is conducted at room temperature. The products have been fully characterized with the help of model compounds, including elemental analysis, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
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