Study of the reaction of glutaric acid with glycerine

Abstract

IN manufactur ing alkyd linoleum using waste material from caprolactam production, containing a mixture of succinic, ghitaric and adipic acids, it became necessary to evaluate the reactivities of the acids involved towards glycerine. Many authors [1-10] have studied the reaction mechanism of dibasic acids with glycerine. The studies were mainly carried out with phthalic anhydride only; as far as saturated aliphatic dibasic acids are concerned, particularly succinic, ghitaric and adipic acids, only a few studies are known. Kienle [2-4] studied the reaction of succinic and adipic acids with glycerine at 190 °. The reaction of succinic acid with this alcohol was examined by Hauschild [10] at 200 and 250 °. His results give some idea about the behaviour of these acids under restricted temperature conditions. The content of unreacted dicarboxylic acids in reaction end products has not been elucidated, neither have the kinetics of formation of a three-dimensional polymer been investigated. There is no information in the li terature concerning the reaction of glutaric acid with glycerine. I t is also known that dibasic acids with even and odd numbers of carbon atoms, as a consequence of different steric structure, form polyesters with different properties [11]. We examined the reactions of succinic, ghitaric aud adipic acids and their mixtures with glycerine over a wide range of temperature. By using the chromatographic method of determining free dicarboxylic acids [121 we were able to examine polyesterification in greater detail. This paper reports the results of examining the reaction of glutaric acid with glycerine.