Reduction of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters with Sodium Borohydride-t-Butanol-Methanol

✍ Scribed by Rao, Y. Rajeswara ;Pantulu, A. J. ;Lakshminarayana, G.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Weight: 384 KB
• Volume: 89
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0931-5985
• DOI: 10.1002/lipi.19870891006

✦ Synopsis

a y a n a * Methyl esters of undecenoic, oleic, erucic, linoleic, gorlic, ricinoleic, 12hydroxystearic, 9,10-dihydroxystearic, 12-ketostearic and 9,lO-epoxystearic acids were reduced to alcohols by refluxing with sodium borohydride in t-butanol-methanol. The products were found by chromatographic and spectral techniques to consist of mainly alcohols and small quantities of unreduced esters. Methyl undecenoate and gorlate also yielded minor proportions of corresponding wax esters. Olefinic unsaturation was not affected. Keto and epoxy groups were reduced faster than ester groups, hydroxy esters faster than nonhydroxy esters and shorter-chain esters faster than longer-chain esters.