6. Uses for Synol Products
This problem was of great interest since some of the products are a new commodity on the chemical market. Of greatest importance appear the alcohols. The C7-C11 range may be esterified with acids of equal chain length (produced from the same alcohols) and used as plasticizers. The C9-C14 fraction can be used for esterification with adipic acid to produce outstanding lubricants. This is an important use. The lower alcohols C3-C8 may also be used for esterification to yield lacquer solvents. The synol alcohols are preferred on account of their straight chain character.
However, the most important application (in Germany) would have been the use of the higher alcohols in the detergent field. Due to their straight chain structure synol alcohols resemble the natural fatty alcohols. From them they differ only by way of their content of even and uneven numbered carbon atoms. The uses for the corresponding olefins are well known, with polymerization to synthetic lube oil in first place and sulphonation for the production of emulsifiers and detergents as an alternative. This entire field is presently in a state of development.