Solvent-free ring opening of epoxidized soybean oil under microwave irradiation

Epoxidized soybean oil (esbo) and diethyleneglycol (deg) were reacted in the presence of catalytic amounts of zncl2 under microwave irradiation and the performance of the reaction were investigeted using spectroscopic methods. data comparisons showed that by application of zncl2 in epoxy ring opening reaction under microwave irradiation the reaction times decreased while at conventional heating method after 90 minutes, a side reaction namely, trancesterification reaction would be accompanied with epoxy ring opening reaction.