Lauric acid (alias dodecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid), white Needle crystal, soluble in methanol, slightly soluble in acetone, petroleum ether and water. It can be used most widely in the surfactant industry. It can also be used in the perfume industry and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, it can also be used as a food additive and used in the manufacture of cosmetics. It is used in the production of soaps, detergents, cosmetic surfactants and chemical fiber oils. of raw materials.
According to the supply of lauric acid: Lauric acid can be obtained from natural vegetable oils through saponification or decomposition under high temperature and pressure. Let’s take a closer look at which plants can extract lauric acid.
1. Coconut oil: The lauric acid content in coconut oil is as high as 45-52%, which can be obtained industrially from the hydrolysis of natural oils. Add coconut oil, water and catalyst to the autoclave, and hydrolyze it into glycerin and fatty acids at 250°C and about 5MPa pressure, which contain 45% to 80% dodecanoic acid. Dodecanoic acid is obtained by distillation.
2. Palm kernel oil: Malaysia’s palm oil production accounts for more than half of the world’s total production. Among them, palm kernel oil is mainly composed of C6~C18 fatty acids, usually lauric acid accounts for 46%~51%.
3. Mountain pepper kernel oil: Mountain pepper belongs to the Lauraceae family and is a deciduous tree. The mountain pepper stone fruit is spherical, and is indeed green at first and black when mature. The mountain pepper kernel contains more than 30% lauric acid.
4. Other plants, such as palm kernel oil, sassafras seed oil, camphor tree seed oil, etc. can also be used to prepare lauric acid.