Castor oil is a triglyceride of fatty acids. Castor oil is found in castor beans In the seeds, its content is 35% to 57.%. “Castor oil is obtained by squeezing or solvent extraction. It is almost colorless or slightly yellow, clear and viscous liquid; has a slight odor; has a light taste and then is slightly pungent, and is easily soluble in ethanol. , can be mixed with absolute ethanol, chloroform, ether or glacial acetic acid.
According to the knowledge of castor oil suppliers, castor oil contains a large amount of ricinoleic acid (more than 80%), so it has Many unique properties:
1. Easily soluble in ethanol and difficult to dissolve in petroleum ether. The existence of this characteristic makes it easier to distinguish castor oil from other oils.
2. The viscosity is much higher than that of ordinary grease. It is 680CPS at 25 hours, the viscosity index is 84, and the friction coefficient is very low (0.1). At the same time, castor oil is insoluble in gasoline, has a low freezing point and a high ignition point. Castor oil has good fluidity and is refined. Castor oil can still flow at -22°C and has no turbidity after rapid cooling at -50°C. It is an ideal lubricating oil for aviation and high-speed machinery and a protective oil for power belts.
3. It has strong optical activity because The asymmetric carbon atom in its main fatty acid, ricinoleic acid, is after the 12th position.
4. The dielectric constant is about 4.30, which is the highest among common oils.
5. The relative density and acetyl value of castor oil are greater than those of ordinary oils.
6. Castor oil almost does not undergo oxidative rancidity in the air and has good storage stability. It is a typical non-drying liquid oil.