Fatty acids / Glycerine

Things to know about fatty acids and glycerin

Natural fats and fatty oils, so-called triglycerides, are esters from the trivalent alcohol "glycerin" and monocarboxylic acids, the so-called "fatty acids". By means of fat splitting, the respective individual components are obtained, which are now of great technical importance as raw materials for further chemical conversions or applications.

Glycerin (propane 1,2,3-triol), with its three OH groups, can be mixed with water in virtually any ratio and is frequently used in the fields of the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries.

The fatty acids and/or fatty acid mixtures are, depending on the origin of the fats and fatty oils typical in the composition of the obtained monocarboxylic acids, i.e. non-distilled / hydrated fatty acids are always a mixture of mostly stearic (C18) and palmitic acid (C16) and sometimes unsaturated (contains double bonds) fatty acids such as olein (C18‘). Characteristic of the fatty acids are firstly the carboxyl group (gives the acid character) and secondly also, if present, the free OH groups (typical of the polar character) and the variably long hydrocarbon chain (peculiar to the lipophilic character).