Synthesis and study of unsymmetrical ethylene glycol diesters

The article is devoted to the synthesis and study of unsymmetrical (mixed) ethylene glycol diesters in the presence of a ZnO catalyst based on fatty acids of the C5-C7 series and synthetic petroleum acids obtained by oxidation of naphthene-paraffin concentrate isolated from the mineral oil distillate T-1500 of a mixture of Azerbaijani oils. In order to select optimal conditions under which a high yield of target products, was studied the influence of temperature, amount of catalyst and molar ratio of reaction components on the yield and were determined optimal conditions (T, oC = 110–120, acid:alcohol – 2:1.5 mol, ZnO – 2 % mass) where a yield of mixed diesters of 89.5–91.4 %.. The properties of the diesters were studied, their indicators were determined by analytical and spectral methods, and the material balance of their production process was compiled. The mixing of the synthesized mixed diesters into polyvinyl chloride resin was studied by preparing compositions by adding 30–70 parts by weight of mixed diesters and 1 part by weight of stabilizer (calcium stearate) to 100 parts of polyvinyl chloride. It was determined that the optimal mixing limit is 30 parts by weight at 75 oC. Additionally, by adding ethylene glycol diesters to diesel fuel, the amount of sediment and the cloud point significantly decreased. Thus, the synthesized diesters can be recommended as an efficient plasticizer for polymer materials and as a new antioxidant-antidepressant improving the quality characteristics of diesel fuel.