Characterization of esters of fatty acids and dicarboxylic acids with Guerbet alcohols

Esters of some common fatty acids and diacids with Guerbet alcohols were pr epared by p-toluenesulfonic acid-catalyzed esterification. Such materials a re of interest in applications such as additives in Various industrial prod ucts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with chemical ionization using m ethane as ionization gas is an efficient characterization method for these Guerbet esters and diesters. Under these conditions, structural features su ch as molecular weight and site of branching are easily determined. The spe ctra of the present compounds were compared to those of di-Guerbet esters r eported earlier and differences noted. The compounds were also characterize d by C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.