Insitu dehydro‐oligomerization of castor oil, fatty acid ester into esters of dimer and oligomer acids over molybdenum oxide on silica‐alumina catalyst

A process is described for the conversion of methylricinoleate, the major castor oil, fatty acid ester, directly into esters of dimer and oligomer acids by using molybdenum oxide on a silica–alumina catalyst. The dehydration of the methylricinoleate into a corresponding mixture of conjugated and nonconjugated olefins and the oligomerization reaction took place side by side in a continuous column, fixed‐bed reactor. The products are characterized by IR, 1 H NMR, and MS. The fragmentation pattern in the mass spectrum of the dimeric species distilled from the mixture reveals that the product contains cyclic and acyclic isomeric structures. The mechanism of dimerization and oligomerization reactions to transition metal complexes and transition metal oxide catalyst systems is reviewed briefly and the possibility of a common mechanism for all similar systems is suggested. A general mechanism for oligomerization reactions to similar catalysts is proposed and the products of the present reaction are explained on the basis of the proposed mechanism.