Molecular Weight Distribution of Low Molecular Weight Polyols Derived from Fatty Acid Methyl Esters

• Published in: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society Vol. 94; no. 3; pp. 387 - 395
• Main Authors: Mohd Noor, Mohd Azmil, Tuan Ismail, Tuan Noor Maznee, Sendijarevic, Vahid, Schiffman, Christi M., Sendijarevic, Ibrahim, Ghazali, Razmah, Idris, Zainab
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alcohol; Biomaterials; Biotechnology; Calibration; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Esters; Fatty acid methyl esters; Fatty acids; Food Science; Gel permeation chromatography; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Liquid chromatography; Low molecular weights; Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution; Original Paper; Polyols; Polystyrene resins; Propylene; Vapor pressure; Polyols; Fatty acid methyl esters; Molecular weight; Gel permeation chromatography
• ISSN: 0003-021X; 1558-9331
• DOI: 10.1007/s11746-017-2950-x

A series of commercial polyether polyols with well-defined molecular weights (MW) was used along with propylene glycol and dipropylene glycol as gel permeation chromatography (GPC) calibration standards to determine the MW and oligomeric composition of the synthesized low MW fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) polyols, having an MW of lower than 600 Da. This GPC analysis was compared to the one calibrated against the commercially-available polystyrene (PS) standards and to the number-average molecular weight ( M n ) obtained via vapor pressure osmometry (VPO) technique. The MW of FAME polyols obtained with GPC calibrated against polyether polyols were closer to the M n values obtained via VPO than the MW obtained via GPC calibrated against PS standards. Using the reliable GPC calibration, the MW distribution and the hydroxyl functionality of FAME polyols were determined with greater confidence.