Methyl Alcohol HCL

Description

Methanolic HCl (hydrochloric acid in methanol) is beneficial for preparing methyl esters of volatile (short-chain) fatty acids. Fatty acids are esterified by heating them with anhydrous alcohol (e.g., methanol) in the presence of an acidic catalyst (e.g., HCl) in a sealed vessel at a high temperature for a short time. In the reaction, a fatty acid molecule and an alcohol molecule are joined, with the release of a water molecule. The derivatives can be quickly and easily recovered, quantitatively, from the reaction medium.