¹H-NMR Monitoring of the transesterification process of Jatropha oil

Jatropha oil was extracted with hexane from the seeds of a shrub, Jatropha Curcas, in high yields, up to 40% by weight. The extracted oil was converted in a laboratory reactor to biodiesel methyl esters by transesterification with methanol using sodium hydroxide as catalyst. Analysis of Jatropha oil and the produced Jatropha biodiesel by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance ( ¹H NMR) showed that Jatropha oil could be readily converted to a biodiesel product through conventional transesterification. ¹H NMR spectroscopy was proven to be a useful tool for monitoring the progress of transesterification reaction to convert Jatropha oil to biodiesel.