ABSTRACT
CHAPTER 11 Fatty Acids JERRY D. UNRUH and JAMES R. STRONG Celanese Chemical Company, Inc., Corpus Christi, Texas CHRISTINE L. KOSKI Celanese Chemical Company, Inc., Dallas, Texas
1 INTRODUCTION Fatty acids are considered to be carboxylic acids with six or more carbon atoms (C6-C24). Of these, heptanoic (C7) and pelargonic (C9, nonanoic) acids became commercially available from Celanese Chemical Co. in 1980 from alpha olefins via hydroformylation (oxo) of I-hexene and I-octene, respectively. In turn, these olefins are readily available from the Ziegler ethylene-growth process, wax cracking, and the Shell SHOP process. These synthetic fatty acids are ideal as replacements for, or as additions to, naturally derived fatty acids in the 5-to la-carbon range. Prior to the oxo process, the only commercial routes to fatty acids were from natural fats and oils.
