Methanolic HCl (hydrochloric acid in methanol) is particularly useful for preparing methyl esters of volatile (short chain) fatty acids. Fatty acids are esterified by heating them with an anhydrous alcohol (e.g., methanol) in the presence of an acidic catalyst (e.g., HCl) in a sealed vessel at a high temperature for a short time. In the reaction, a fatty acid molecule and an alcohol molecule are joined, with the release of a water molecule. The derivatives can be quickly and easily recovered, quantitatively, from the reaction medium.
Features and Benefits
Derivatization of fatty acids, particularly volatile (short chain) fatty acids.
Clean reaction (no side reaction) with volatile by-products.
The carbon-carbon double bond positions of unsaturated fatty acids can have markedly different effects on biological function and also serve as biomarkers of disease pathology, dietary history, and species identity. As such, there is great interest in developing methods for
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