Question

Would the generation of biodiesel be more successful with a fatty acid tetraester. And why?

options are:

A) Yes. The alcohol generated, is highly volatile and will evaporate, pushing the equilibrium towards the products.

B) Yes. With the additional ester unit, the products would be more entropically favored compared to the triglyceride.

C) No. With the additional ester unit, the equilibrium will be pushed toward the starting materials.

D) No. The tetraester would be too sterically hindered to react with the sodium methoxide.

I believe the answer is no but I am struggling with the why. Any explanation would be appreciated.

Answer 1

The answer is:

B) Yes. with the addition of ester unit, the products would be more entropically favored compared to the triglyceride.

as a biodiesel generates from a fatty acid tetraester the number of molecules on the product side is increasing resulting in a increase in entropy which drives the reaction to the product side.