I'm an angler and getting into the nitty-gritty of bait-making. I bought a mixture containing caprillic, capric and lauric acids; C8, C10, C12 respectively. Is there a straightforward way I can separate these to use individually? I think one can separate higher chain acids by freezing. I'm using the 8, 10, 12 carbons because they don't wax up in sub-10c temperatures. I also have C4 and C6 acids but they are already separate.

This oil is coconut oil I think it's fractionated somehow to remove C14 and higher in the oil.

It doesn't have to be high purity.

Is it usual for oils like coconut to only have even numbered carbon acid chains in them?

Edited November 26, 20232 yr by StringJunky

Fractional distillation under a vacuum is all I can offer.

 

Yes, fatty acids found in nature do tend to have an even number of carbon atoms because they are biosynthesised from two-carbon units (acetyl-CoA).