Transesterification is a chemical process that combines an alcohol with an ester to produce a new alcohol and ester. Catalysts, including enzymes, can be used to initiate the reaction. The process is used to create sweet-smelling products, fuel, herbicides, and industrial chemicals. Biodiesel is a well-known example of transesterification, which converts vegetable oil into usable fuel. Enzymatic transesterification is used for biodiesel production, and research has been conducted on transesterification of biolipids.
Transesterification is an organic process in which the combination of an alcohol with an ester produces a different alcohol. The process may require the addition of a catalyst to facilitate the change. The catalysts used to create this transition can be an acid or a base. In some cases, a biocatalyst enzyme is used to start the process.
The chemical process by which transesterification occurs is quite rudimentary. Alcohol esters are made by combining an acid with a water-based alcohol and then distilling the mixture to remove the water. When an alcohol and an ester are combined with a catalyst, which can be acidic, basic or enzymatic in nature, a chemical reaction is initiated. The catalyst donates or collects a proton depending on whether it is acidic or basic. This change causes the R” organic group of the alcohol to switch places with the R’ organic group of the ester. The result is a new ester and alcohol.
Transesterification is used for many different purposes. The esters created are often sweet smelling and are used to make incense and perfume. Alcoholic products can be used to provide fuel for equipment and for further chemical reactions. In some cases, the process is also used to create herbicides and other industrial chemicals.
One of the best known examples of this chemical process is in the creation of biodiesel. Biodiesel is a chemical compound obtained from the transesterification of vegetable oil. The triglycerides, or fats, in the oil are converted into usable fuel through the process. This form of transesterification has been used to create biodiesel to power large vehicles in some countries, even before World War II.
Transesterification of biodiesel is an enzymatic form of the process. The first patent on the process was issued to Colgate in the 1950s, but research was conducted on the technique long before this date. Much of the early research on biodiesel transesterification dates back to the 1940s, when the US war effort focused on finding quick ways to make glycerine for explosives.
Research has also been conducted in the field of transesterification of biolipids. Specialized methanol was produced in a laboratory setting using biolipids and this chemical process. The researchers were able to use high temperatures and pressurization to induce the process in these biolipid compounds.
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