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Surface and interfacial tensions, viscosities, and other physical properties of some n-aliphatic acids and their methyl and ethyl esters

  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society

Summary

  1. 1.

    Determinations of surface tension, interfacial tension against water, viscosity, density, and refractive index were made at 75°C. for the saturated, evennumbered,n-fatty acids from C2 through C18 and for the corresponding methyl and ethyl esters. The typical effect of temperature on the various physical constants was demonstrated for one of the fatty acids, myristic acid.

  2. 2.

    Surface tensions of the fatty acids were found to increase from 19.6 dynes/cm. for acetic to 27.7 dynes/cm. for stearic as the length of the carbon chain increased. Surface tensions for the ethyl esters were about 2.5 dynes/cm. lower than those for the corresponding acids, while the surface tensions for the methyl esters were about 2 dynes/cm. lower.

  3. 3.

    The interfacial tensions of the fatty acids and esters against water increased with increasing length of the fatty acid chain. The interfacial tension values for the acids were lower than those for the corresponding esters. For the longer chain length acids, increase in chain length had very little effect on the interfacial tension.

  4. 4.

    The viscosities of the fatty acids and esters increased as the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain increased. Because of molecular association the acids were most viscous, and their viscosity increased most rapidly with increasing chain length. Only small and consistent differences were found in the viscosities of corresponding methyl and ethyl esters.

  5. 5.

    The densities of the fatty acids and esters decreased with increasing chain length, the decrease being most marked for the fatty acids and least marked for the ethyl esters. No decrease in density of the ethyl ester series was detectable beyond the butyrate.

  6. 6.

    The refractive indices of the fatty acids and esters increased rapidly with increasing chain length. The refractive indices of the acids were greater than those for the corresponding esters, and at the longer chain lengths the refractive indices for corresponding methyl and ethyl esters were almost identical.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Regional Research Laboratory, New Orleans, Louisiana

    Audrey T. Gros & R. O. Feuge

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  1. Audrey T. Gros
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  2. R. O. Feuge
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One of the laboratories of the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, Agricultural Research Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture.

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Gros, A.T., Feuge, R.O. Surface and interfacial tensions, viscosities, and other physical properties of some n-aliphatic acids and their methyl and ethyl esters. J Am Oil Chem Soc 29, 313–317 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02639809

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02639809

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