ABSTRACT
Epoxidised oils are made from unsaturated acids or from their glycerol or alkyl esters such as soybean oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, tall oil, oleic acid, or alkyl oleates. Vemolic acid is still the most readily available natural epoxy acid and continues to be the most widely studied. Epoxidation is a cisaddition process, so cis alkenes give cis epoxides and trans alkenes give trans epoxides. In conducting epoxidation reactions it should always be remembered that the reaction is exothermic and that high concentrations of peroxy acid should be avoided. The position of an epoxide function in a long chain is easily determined by mass spectrometry or by chain fission with periodic acid. The epoxide function is very reactive, especially in acid solution, and undergoes a wide range of reactions. E. W. Hammond has suggested high performance liquid chromatography examination of unsaturated oils after epoxidation as an alternative to silver ion chromatography.
