| HS Code | |
| Product Name | Oleic Acid |
| Iupac Name | (9Z)-Octadec-9-enoic acid |
| Chemical Formula | C18H34O2 |
| Molecular Weight | 282.46 g/mol |
| Cas Number | 112-80-1 |
| Ec Number | 204-007-1 |
| Appearance | Colorless to pale yellow liquid |
| Odor | Mild fatty odor |
| Melting Point | 13-16 °C |
| Boiling Point | 360 °C |
| Density | 0.895 g/cm³ at 25 °C |
| Solubility | Insoluble in water; soluble in ethanol, ether, chloroform, and oils |
| Flash Point | 189 °C |
| Refractive Index | 1.4585 at 20 °C |
| Viscosity | 25.6 mPa·s at 25 °C |
| Pka | 9.85 |
As an accredited Oleic Acid factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Oleic Acid is packaged in a 500 mL amber glass bottle with a secure screw cap for safe chemical storage. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container loading of Oleic Acid: liquid chemical packed in drums or flexitank, secured, labeled, and sealed for ocean shipment. |
| Shipping | Oleic acid is generally shipped as a non-hazardous, combustible liquid in steel drums, IBC totes, or bulk tank trucks/ISO tanks. Containers should be closed, kept away from heat, sparks, and strong oxidizers. For bulk shipments, insulated or heated tanks may be required to maintain flowability. Standard transport documentation applies. |
| Storage | Store oleic acid in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat, ignition sources, and strong oxidizers. Keep containers tightly closed and protected from light and moisture. Use compatible containers such as glass, stainless steel, or high-density polyethylene. Maintain moderate temperatures, preferably above 16°C, to prevent solidification. Label clearly and inspect regularly for leaks or degradation. Store separately from incompatible materials. |
| Shelf Life | About 2 years when stored tightly sealed, cool, dark, and under inert gas; oleic acid oxidizes upon air exposure. |
| Concentrate parameter | Low oleic acid formulation | Mid oleic acid formulation | High oleic acid formulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naphthenic base oil | 30-40 wt% | 20-30 wt% | 15-25 wt% |
| Oleic acid | 5-8 wt% | 10-14 wt% | 18-22 wt% |
| Triethanolamine | 3-5 wt% | 6-9 wt% | 10-13 wt% |
| Petroleum sulfonate emulsifier | 8-12 wt% | 10-15 wt% | 12-15 wt% |
| Water | balance | balance | balance |
| Emulsion pH at 5% dilution | 8.5-9.0 | 9.0-9.5 | 9.5-10.0 |
| Four-ball wear scar per ASTM D4172 at 40 kgf, 1200 rpm, 60 min | ≤0.70 mm | ≤0.60 mm | ≤0.50 mm |
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Oleic acid, systematically named cis-9-octadecenoic acid (CAS 112-80-1), is a monounsaturated C18 fatty acid with a single double bond at the C9–C10 position and a molecular mass of 282.461 g/mol. Commercial product is not a single molecular species but a fractionated fatty acid stream in which the nominal C18:1 content defines the grade. Standard industrial descriptors include 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, and 95% oleic acid, with the balance composed primarily of linoleic, linolenic, stearic, palmitic, and minor C18 and C20 constituents. The source—tall oil, tallow, olive, rapeseed, or high-oleic sunflower—affects the ratio of unsaturated and saturated co-products and therefore governs viscosity, color, titer, and oxidative stability. At 25°C the material is typically a pale yellow to amber liquid or low-viscosity paste, and it remains readily pumpable in unheated stainless steel lines, whereas stearic acid requires heated storage above 55°C.
Purchase specifications for oleic acid are organized around acid value, saponification value, iodine value, titer, moisture, and color. Acid value is the primary process variable in derivative manufacture because it fixes the stoichiometric consumption of alcohols, amines, and polyol hydroxyl groups. Iodine value is the critical differentiator for unsaturation-sensitive processes such as sulfation, ethoxylation, and hydrogenation. The following table presents representative industrial acceptance ranges for two common commercial forms.
| Parameter | Technical grade | High-purity grade | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal C18:1 content, wt% | 70–75 | 90–98 | GC, AOCS Ce 1-62 |
| Acid value, mg KOH/g | 198–204 | 198–202 | AOCS Cd 3d-63 / ISO 660:2020 |
| Saponification value, mg KOH/g | 196–204 | 198–202 | ISO 3657:2020 |
| Iodine value, g I2/100 g | 85–100 | 85–95 | AOCS Tg 1a-64 / ISO 3961:2018 |
| Titer, °C | 8–15 | 4–10 | AOCS Tr 1a-64 |
| Moisture, wt% | ≤0.3 | ≤0.05 | ISO 662:2016 |
| Color, Lovibond 5¼ in | ≤20Y/2R | ≤5Y/0.5R | AOCS Cc 13b-45 |
Because high-purity grades from different botanical sources do not share a single titer profile, published data for this specific configuration is limited; buyers should request source-specific fatty acid methyl ester distribution rather than relying solely on nominal C18:1 content. In esterification plants, a batch-to-batch acid value shift of ±2 mg KOH/g alters the required alkali neutralization in downstream water-washing by up to 0.4 wt% sodium carbonate solution, which is significant when residual acidity must be held below 0.1 mg KOH/g.
Across continuous methyl ester plants, oleic acid is blended with methanol at a molar ratio of 2.5:1 to 4:1 and esterified over an acidic ion-exchange resin or immobilized lipase. Reaction temperatures of 140–160°C under vacuum stripping at 20–50 mbar abs drive water removal and shift conversion; measured acid value is reduced to ≤1.0 mg KOH/g before the ester is neutralized. In batch ethoxylation, oleic acid is pre-dried to 0.02 wt% moisture and reacted with 2–20 mol ethylene oxide at 120–180°C using potassium hydroxide at 0.05–0.3 wt%; the residual acid value is typically terminated at ≤0.5 mg KOH/g. For amine-neutralized metalworking fluid additives, triethanolamine oleate is formed in jacketed stainless steel vessels at 75–95°C with anchor agitation until a clear concentrate is obtained; dilution pH at 5 wt% in deionized water is held between 8.0 and 9.5. These process windows are narrow because residual moisture above 0.2 wt% in the feedstock interferes with ethylene oxide insertion and increases side-product polyethylene glycol formation.
In sulfochlorinated and sulfated derivative production, the monounsaturation of oleic acid permits controlled sulfation at the C9 double bond, but it also creates a heat-removal requirement not encountered with saturated lauric or stearic acid. Falling-film sulfonation reactors must maintain oleum or SO3 inlet temperatures of 40–50°C and cooling water at 20–30°C; local hot spots above 70°C darken the product and reduce active matter. Producers of quaternary fabric softeners first convert oleic acid to oleonitrile and then to oleyl amine; the final quaternization with methyl chloride is carried out under pressure in a stainless steel autoclave at 90–110°C until free amine content falls below 2.0 wt%. The narrower iodine value of high-purity grades reduces batch-to-batch variation in softener viscosity, which is otherwise observable as a spread of 80–120 mPa·s in 10% aqueous dispersions.
When oleyl alcohol is the target derivative, oleic acid is hydrogenated over a copper-chromite catalyst at 250–300°C and 20–30 MPa hydrogen pressure in a trickle-bed reactor. Selective hydrogenation of the carboxyl group must preserve the C9 double bond when oleyl alcohol is desired; this requires the iodine value of the feedstock to remain within ±3 units of the nominal purchase specification because high linoleic co-content consumes hydrogen and raises saturated alcohol yield. The resulting oleyl alcohol typically retains an iodine value of 80–95 g I2/100 g and an acid value below 0.5 mg KOH/g, and it is further ethoxylated or sulfated for detergent and personal care intermediates.
Selection among C18 fatty acids is determined by iodine value, titer, and chain-length effects on viscosity and oxidative stability. Oleic acid occupies an intermediate position between solid saturated stearic acid and highly unsaturated linoleic acid. The comparison table below summarizes the principal technical differences.
| Fatty acid | Chain specification | Iodine value, g I2/100 g | Titer or melting point, °C | Typical technical function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oleic acid | C18:1 cis-9 | 85–95 | 8–15 | liquid esters, lubricants, amine soaps |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 | ≤2 | 54–57 | rubber vulcanization activator, metal salts, PVC heat stabilizer |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 cis-9,12 | 145–160 | −5 to −8 | alkyd drying resins, unsaturated chain extension |
| Erucic acid | C22:1 cis-13 | 65–75 | 33–34 | slip agents, high-erucic oil derivatives |
These differences have direct processing consequences. A twin-screw compounding line that processes calcium stearate as a lubricant and acid scavenger cannot simply substitute oleic acid at equal loading without accounting for reduced melting point and increased unsaturation. In polyolefin extrusion, stearic acid at 0.05–0.20 phr acts as an external lubricant with a solid boundary layer, whereas oleic acid at the same addition level reduces viscosity more aggressively but can migrate to the die lip and form sticky deposits if barrel temperatures exceed 230°C. In alkyd resin synthesis, linoleic acid is selected for drying speed; oleic acid extends open time and yellowing resistance but requires a higher cobalt drier dose to achieve the same set-to-touch time. Published quantitative comparisons for this specific substitution are limited because commercial fatty acid blends vary in linoleic and linolenic co-content; the iodine value and peroxide value must be measured on each received lot rather than inferred from nominal grade.
Storage in unheated carbon steel is generally acceptable for technical oleic acid, but high-purity cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades are transferred through 316L stainless steel or high-density polyethylene to prevent iron oleate formation. Tanks must be blanketed with nitrogen if shipment intervals exceed 30 days or if ambient storage temperature exceeds 35°C; peroxide values can rise above 10 meq/kg under repeated headspace air exposure, which invalidates subsequent sulfation and ethoxylation endpoints. Contact with copper, brass, cobalt, and manganese compounds accelerates oxidative degradation and should be restricted to components with <0.5 wt% copper alloy. Pre-drying at 80–95°C under 20–50 mbar abs is required for moisture-sensitive polyol ester and aluminum complex grease production, where water above 0.02 wt% causes batch turbidity and reduced thickener yield.
