Zeolite catalyzed palmitic acid esterification

Abstract The present study compares four commercial H-Y and ZSM-5 zeolites as solid acid catalysts for the conversion of palmitic acid to methyl palmitate under smooth conditions. The palmitic acid conversion did not show a clear correlation with the amount of acid sites on the catalysts surface and depended more on the porosity and the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance of the microporous materials and the reactants. Only the H-Y-60 catalyst was highly effective for this reaction, yielding 100% conversion after 3 h at 70 °C using a 2:1 M ratio of metanol:palmitic acid, with approximately 3 μmol of catalytic acid sites per mmol of palmitic acid, and exhibiting promising recyclability.