Castor oil

Molecular Formula: C ₃ H ₅ (C ₁₈ H ₃₃ O ₃ ) ₃ . Transparent or slightly yellowish liquid ( _freezing t = −16 ° C), thick and viscous. The smell is weak, the taste is peculiar, unpleasant.

Unsaturated compounds are oxidized by air oxygen and light. Oxidation products initiate the polymerization of unsaturated compounds - this happens, for example, in sunflower oil. In castor, the content of double bonds is small, its components do not polymerize.

CAS Registration Number : 8001-79-4.

Castor oil is obtained from castor oil seeds by cold pressing. Castor oil, from which castor oil is squeezed, more than half consists of vegetable fats, they also contain about 15-20% of protein substances ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} . Castor oil refining is used for the needs of the pharmaceutical industry.

Chemical industry

Castor oil is used to produce alkyd and epoxy resins, alizarin oil , enanthaldehyde, sebacic and undecylenic acids. It is used as a polyol in the reaction for producing polyurethanes.

Lubricants

Castor has several advantages as a lubricating oil compared to mineral oils : a wide range of operating temperatures (T _freezing = -16, T _flash = 275 ° C ), insolubility in petroleum products , non-toxicity, non-aggressiveness with respect to most plastics. The main disadvantages limiting the use of this substance as a lubricant are its fast oxidizability and low thermal conductivity.

At the dawn of aviation, castor oil was used as engine oil for piston aircraft engines . It is currently used in aircraft modeling in the lubrication system of glow and compression engines.

It is used to lubricate machine parts in the food industry and as a component of grease (for example, VNIINP-291, Petrolproof).

Fluids for hydraulic drives

Castor-based fluids for hydraulic brake systems for automobiles were widely used in the past. Consisted of a mixture of equal proportions of castor oil and alcohol. ESC fluid - ethyl alcohol and castor oil, BSK - butyl alcohol and castor oil.

The first has not been produced for a long time, as it has a low boiling point and contains easily separated ethyl alcohol. It was in circulation until the 1950s.

The second is used in brake systems only with drum brake mechanisms (trucks and cars of old models, for example, GAZ-24 ). It is characterized by high resistance, not hygroscopic, not aggressive to rubber parts, and has lubricating and anti-corrosion properties. In the United States, similar fluids were produced (and are now available for antique cars) according to the DOT-2 standard.

Medical use

Known laxative . When administered in the small intestine, it is cleaved by lipase , resulting in the formation of ricinoleic acid , which causes irritation of the intestinal receptors (along its entire length) and reflex enhancement of peristalsis ^[6] . The effect after using a laxative does not occur immediately, but after several hours. ^[7]

Forced feeding of the victim with castor oil was widely used by Italian fascists as a method of mockery of their political opponents ^{[8] [9] [10]} .

Castor oil is used as a means to strengthen hair ^[11] .

Castor oil is the basis of a number of ointments and balsams (including Vishnevsky ointment ).

The polyoxyethylene derivative of castor oil is known as “cremophor” (Cremophor EL as a trademark of BASF, now re-branded to Kolliphor EL with enhanced purification), a surfactant used to solubilize poorly soluble substances. Among its uses are Taxol and Taxotere, the most commonly used anti-cancer drug forms of paclitaxel and docetaxel with annual sales of each of them several billion dollars.

It was shown that prolonged use of Vishnevsky ointment for the treatment of chronic skin ulcers, wounds or burns can be associated with an increased risk of skin cancer , hematological and other diseases ^[12] , and cremophor in anticancer drugs adds its own allergenicity to the side effects of substances. Many studies are underway to replace castor oil-based media with safer ones.

Food Processing

In the food industry, castor oil can be used as a separating agent . Registered as a food supplement E1503 . For its use in this capacity on the territory of Russia, an additional permit of the Institute of Nutrition RAMS is required.

In life

Castor oil is one of the famous oils that does not dry out over the years and is not afraid of frost. . Castor oil is indispensable for the care of smooth leather products : shoes , clothes , saddles , etc. It is well absorbed, does not thicken over time, gives the skin flexibility and water-repellent properties, restores it if it is dry. The optimal use of castor oil in a mixture with linseed oil and beeswax in a ratio of 8: 1: 1.

• Paronyan V. Kh. Castor oil // Chemical Encyclopedia: in 5 t / Ch. Ed .: Knunyants I. L. (T. 1-3), Zefirov N. S. (T. 4-5). - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia (T. 1-2); Great Russian Encyclopedia (T. 3-5), 1988-1998. - ISBN 5-85270-008-8 .