Synthesis of Vegetable Oil Polyols by using Reactions Involving the Double Bonds

2 Synthesis of Vegetable Oil Polyols by Using Reactions Involving the Double Bonds 

Epoxidised soybean oil or epoxidised sunflower oil are commercial products obtained by the epoxidation of vegetable oils with peroxyacetic or peroxiformic acid (generated 

The epoxidation of soybean oil results in an oil with around 4-4.2 epoxidic groups/mol (reaction 17.16). 

By the reaction of epoxidised vegetable oils with HCl, HBr or various organic acids (R-COOH), the epoxidic ring is opened with the formation of polyols having chlorohydrin, bromohydrin or hydroxyalkyl esters structures (reactions 17.17, 17.18 and 17.19) [31-34]. 

Generally the resulting vegetable oil polyols are greases, with an hydroxyl number of around 180-200 mg KOH/g and a functionality of 3.8-4.1 OH groups/mol. The reactions 

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