How to make Glycerine (Glycerol)

TL;DR

This video demonstrates the process of breaking apart triglycerides in vegetable oil to isolate glycerol, without focusing on biodiesel production.

Transcript

Glycerol, which is also known as glycerin, has a wide range of uses. Some of the most common uses are in food products and pharmaceuticals. Biologically, glycerol is used for the storage of fat. The glycerol serves as a backbone and links to three different fatty acid molecules. The combination of the three fatty acids and the glycerol backbone is ... Read More

Key Insights

• 😋 Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is widely used in food products and pharmaceuticals.
• 🛢️ The preparation and isolation of glycerol can be achieved through the traditional method of producing biodiesel from vegetable oil.
• 😥 The process involves transesterification, settling, acidification, pH adjustment, evaporation, and decolorization.
• 💪 Strong stirring is necessary to mix methanol and vegetable oil, which are immiscible.
• 😘 The glycerol separates into a lower layer during settling, while the upper layer consists of biodiesel.
• 😥 The pH of the glycerol solution is adjusted using small amounts of dilute sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid.
• 💦 Evaporation is used to remove excess water and increase the concentration of glycerol.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the role of glycerol in the body?

Glycerol is used to store fats in the body and serves as a backbone for linking three fatty acid molecules in triglycerides.

Q: Why is strong stirring necessary when combining methanol and vegetable oil?

Methanol and vegetable oil are immiscible, but strong stirring helps mix them together and facilitate the transesterification reaction.

Q: Why is settling and separation required after the transesterification reaction?

The mixture separates into a lower layer of glycerol and an upper layer of biodiesel, which must be removed to isolate the glycerol.

Q: How is glycerol purified and decolorized?

Glycerol is dissolved in methanol, activated charcoal is added to remove impurities, and molecular sieves are used to absorb any remaining water.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is commonly used in food products and pharmaceuticals and is stored as fat in the body.

• The video showcases the traditional method of producing glycerol from vegetable oil, without emphasizing biodiesel.

• The process involves transesterification, settling, acidification, pH adjustment, evaporation, and decolorization.