Stearic Acid Triple Pressed 1838

The production of stearic acid is initiated by the hydrolysis of fats and oils. Hydrolysis uses water to break the chains that bind chemical bonds. Triglycerides easily react with bases and acids and decompose at high temperature and high pressure (about 700 degrees Celsius, 5,000 kPa). This creates three fatty acid chains and one glycerin from one molecule of triglyceride. The mixture of fatty acids and glycerin is separated by washing. The solid fatty acid mixture remains while the liquid glycerin is washed away. The remaining fatty acid mixture is distilled to separate unwanted fatty acid chains and extract stearic acid.