Hi... Can anyone please give me some info regarding the chemical reactions involved in mixing the sodium methoxide and WVO? This will really help me a lot...

quote:

Originally posted by Pauline:
Hi... Can anyone please give me some info regarding the chemical reactions involved in mixing the sodium methoxide and WVO? This will really help me a lot...

Pauline -

No doubt you've found your answer to this, but my understanding is that the lye in the sodium methoxide is a catalyst that breaks fatty acid chains (3) from the glycerin molecule that makes up the tri-glyceride molecules which are vegitable oil. The free fatty acids then bond with methanol molecules to make your bio-diesel and the lonely glycerin molecules then fall to the bottom of you reaction tank as waste glycerin by-product.

Washing your bio then removes the excess lye.