US1840349A - Fat cleavage - Google Patents

Description

' Patented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE-f HEINRICH nausea, or cnmrmrz, (minim, assmnon ro n. rm. 120m mrmr- GESELLSCHAI'T, or cnrmm'rz, (1mm, x conrona'rzox or onnmr ra'r omavaen Ho Drawing. Application and August as, 1920, Serial m. asacas, and in Germany October 17', ms.

The lipolysis or cleavage of fats and oils has been performed hitherto without employing high pressures by heating the same with pure water or water which is only 5 slightly acidulated', the fat or oil to be treated having a cleavage facilitating a ent added to it in the form of a product obtained by the sulphonation of a mixture of a fatty acid (or a hardened castor oil) with a hydrocarbon of the benzene series. .The use of sulpho-acids of the petroleum hydrocarbons has also been proposed for the samepurpose.

The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative class of suchclevage facilitating additions. Such are the substances formed by the sulphonation of mixtures of the alcohols corresponding to the higher fatty o bons. These are. excellently suited for the cleavage of fatty acid esters of all kinds, particularly of fats and oils, and are considerably superior in their efficacy to the hitherto known lipolytic agents, especially to the arcmatic fatty sulpho-acids. Their greater suitability exhibits itself both in the more rapid progress of the cleavage process and alsoin the particular purity of the cleavage products obtained which are almost pure white. The differences are due presumably to the better emulsifying powers of the novel cleavage a ents towards water-insoluble substances suc as fatt acid esters.

The lipolytic me ia employed according to this invention may be prepared, for example, as follows Molecular proportions of olein alcohol and naphthaline are mixed while warming. The m ixtu-re is treated with a sulphonating agent 40 such as concentrated sulphuric acid, and is allowed to stand until the reaction is completed. Excess sulphuric acid may be washed .out of the reaction mixture with water.

The oily- 'sulp'honation product is added to the fatty acid ester to be treated, for instance the fat or oil, the necessary pro ortion generally not exceeding 1%. The w ole isthen heated with water whereby smooth clea'rageof the ester into fatty acid and acids with benzene hydrocar-' alcohol takes place without any substantial decomposition or discolouration of the 'cleav age products.

As examples of the alcohols which maybe employed .in the formation'of the fat-splitting reagent, there may be named laurin alcohol, olein alcohol, cet 1 alcohol and stemin alcohol. These alcoho s may be referred to generically and definitely as those alcohols I derived from higher fatty acids having more tha'i0 8 (iarbon attomlsl, b Hrezpgcement of the car on yt e 2 cup.

An of the fnembers of the b ehzene series may lie employed, including benzene, naphthalene, an anthracene.

The exact structure of the reage'nt'cannot be definitel given. However, it is believed that the aliyl radical of the alcohol joins directly with the aryl radical of the hydrocarbon thereby eliminating water, and that the simultaneous or subsequent sulphonation introduces'a sulphonic group at another point on the aryl radical.

Example One part by weight of the sulphonationproduct derived by sulphonating olein alcohol in the presence of naphthalene is added to and stirred carefully into 100 parts by weight of molten tallow. Then 50 parts by weight of water are added 'and t e mass brought to a boil by the introduction .of

steam. After about 10 hours, the cleavage is substantially complete. The mass is then allowed tosettle. Finally, the glycerin and water are drawn ofi.

I claim 1. The process of cleaving fatty acid esters comprising heating a fatty acid ester in the presence of water and an agent composed of a sulphonation product derived from the treatment with a sulphonating agent of a mixture ofa hydrocarbon of the benzene series.

and an 9.100 01 correspondin in the number of carbon atomsto a higher atty acid.

2. Inthe process of cleaving fatty acidesters by heating in the presence of water, the step comprising treating said fatty acid esters during said heating in the presence of water, with an alkyl derivative of a sulphonated aromatic hydrocarbon in which said alkvl radical corres onds to a higher fatty aci in the number carbon atoms contained therein.

3., The process of cleaving fats and oils 55 comprising adding thereto a sulphonation product produced by sulphonating a mixture of a hydrocarbon or" the benzene series with an alcohol derived from a higher fatty acid by replacement of the carbonyl group with re a (ll-LOH group, and then heating in the presence of Water 4. A process according to claim 3 wherein the proportion of the .sulphonation product does not exceed about one per cent.

5. In the process of splitting fatty acid esters by heating in the presence of water, the step comprising treating said esters during said heatin in the presence of water also with a sma quantity of a fat splitting agent derived from the treatment with a sulphonating agent of a mixture of a hydrocarbon of the benzene series with an alcohol derived from a higher fatty acid havin more than 8 carbon atoms by rrzplacement o? the carboxyl group by the CH H group.

DR. HEINRICH BEBTSCH.