The natural lac resin is composed of a number of hydroxy aliphatic and sesquenterpenic acids like aleuritic, butolic, jalaric, shellolic, laccijalaric, laksholic etc. Among these, aleuritic acid, which has been chemically established as 9,10,16-trihydroxy palmitic acid (m.p. 98-101 degree C) is the major and commercially important acid of lac. Aleuritic acid, owing to its polyfunctional properties, possesses significant synthetic value for its as a starting material for synthesis of perfumery compounds, insect sex-pheromones. Pharmaceutical chemicals, plant-growth regulator, esters and metallic salts as stabilizers. Process Seedlac/ shellac is hydrolyzed with aqueous solution of caustic soda under specified conditions of concentration, temperature and period of hydrolysis. The resulting precipitate of sodium aleuritate is separated by filtration after washing with common-salt solution. Crude aleuritic acid is obtained by decomposition of aqueous solution of sodium aleuritate with dilute mineral acid and finally crystallized with organic solvent to get pure aleuritic acid.
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