Synthetic Diester Research Articles

The Behavior of Lubricating Oils In Inert Gas Atmospheres

The interactions of five gases (helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide) with mineral and synthetic lubricating oils were studied. The interactions examined included gas solubility, foaming, entrainment, evaporation of oil into gas, stability of oil in presence of gas, and effect of dissolved gas an oil viscosity. Several of the gases showed behavior (appreciably different from that of air) that was not predicted by conventional theories. No important differences were found between mineral and synthetic (diester) oils in these respects. The additives used can have appreciable influence on the foaming and entrainment characteristics, and evaporation rates, of both types of oils. *Presented as an American Society of Lubrication Engineers paper at the Lubrication Conference held in Boston, Massachusetts, October 17–19, 1960.

XXIV.—The Electrosynthesis of n-Duotriacontane Dicarboxylic Acid

The highest member of the series of normal dibasic acids hitherto obtained by electrosynthesis is hexadecane dicarboxylic acid, HOOC.(CH2)16. COOH. In attempts to synthesise by this means dicarboxylic acids of still higher molecular weight, the following difficulties are encountered:—(1) The temperature of the liquid undergoing electrolysis must be kept above the melting point of the synthetic di-ester, in order that the latter may not solidify on the anode and prevent the passage of the current; (2) the alkali ethyl salts of the higher dibasic acids are of a soapy nature, and cannot readily be dealt with in concentrated solution. Two of the conditions favourable to electrosynthesis, high concentration of the electrolyte and low temperature, are thus unattainable.