Coupling Fatty Acids by Ketonic Decarboxylation Using Solid Catalysts for the Direct Production of Diesel, Lubricants, and Chemicals

In bed with magnesium: Long-chain alkanes that can be used as alternative premium diesel or lubricants can be obtained by a four-step process in a single reactor with two catalyst beds. First, two fatty acid molecules are coupled by ketonic decarboxylation over MgO. The carbonyl product is then hydrogenated, and after the elimination of water the resulting olefin is further hydrogenated to produce the alkane in up to 58 % yield (Pt/MgO). Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2476/2008/z800103_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.