Glycerin is a organic compounds that made up of Carbon hydrogen oxygen .This organic compound is made up of three chains of carbon atoms that connect hydrogen on one side and hydroxyl (OH) on the other..Three hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds between molecules, which make the syrup of the compound sticky and more easy to soluble in water …On the point of chemical ,glycerol is an alcohol, but it is not intended for edible . It is classified by the food and drug administration in the United States as a carbohydrate because it provides calories and is not fat or protein. Pure glycerol does not crystallize easily, but it cools to form a solid and melts at 18 ℃ It reduces the freezing point of water, and the effect will depends on the concentration.For example, 66.7% of a solution has a freezing point of -46.1 ℃ For this reason, it can be used as a non-toxic antifreeze and it is used as store of sensitive liquids such as enzymes in laboratory refrigerators.
The production and processing of glycerin
Glycerol forms the skeleton of many lipids, oils, or fats, and there are many ways to extract it from these substances ,Most glycerol is processed from the by-products of soap production ,Animal fats or vegetable oils can be used in the process.It is heated with a strong alkali , usually caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), which produces soap and glycerine solutions in water.The solution is then distilled by distillation.
Vegetable glycerine can be produced directly from vegetable oil, often coconut oil or palm oil, heated at high temperatures under water pressure.The glycerol skeleton is separated from fatty acids, absorbed by water, then isolated and distilled to extract pure products.food grade vegetable oils are 99.7% pure and the remaining 0.3% is water.
Interest in biodiesel fuels has led to the production of large amounts of non-edible vegetable glycerin.It is not cost-effective to purify the liquid and cannot be disposed randomly as it contains toxic methanol.In 2013, there was a lot of research looking for the use for the substance, and one study found that it could be used to make useful plastics.
