ABSTRACT
In cold conditions, the low temperature fluidity of some lubricants is an important requirement. The straight chain n-paraffins have a high viscosity index (VI) but they are undesirable as lube oil molecules due to their high melting points. The preferred molecules for the lube oil manufacture are iso-paraffins having a high VI and low melting points. The literature reports that the melting point of iso-paraffins decreases with an increase in the degree of branching, but the size of the decrease depends on the position and the length of the branching. Branching positions in the middle of the chain have a greater effect than those near the end of the chain, and longer side chains lead to a greater decrease of melting point (Calemma et al., 2004). The highly branched C30 hydrocarbon, known as squalane, was reported to have a VI of 117 (McCabe, Cui, and Cummings, 2001).
