[constant thinker]

I'm currently looking for butyric acid. Does anyone know where I can get some, or of a way to liberate some from butter and purify it?

The reason I want butyric acid is to make methyl butyrate, and possibly other esters with it. Since I'm using it to make esters I'd prefer it do be highly concentrated.

[Will]

This is probably a rubbish temporary solution, but butan-1-ol is quite easy to get as a solvent (see uses in wikipedia), so you could oxidise that (not with acidified dichromate or alkaline permanganate though). I am not sure of the best way to purify the butyric acid- maybe precipitate Ca salt (less soluble in hot water apparently) and/or distillation.

[Borek]

Gamma hydroxy?

[constant thinker]

I'm sorry Borek, but I don't understand your comment.

Thanks though for your replies Will and Borek. I was thinking the Ca salt idea, only problem with that is I don't have CaOH yet. I just need so money to go buy some.

Does anyone know of anything that contains more butyric acid than butter?

[Borek]

I'm sorry Borek, but I don't understand your comment.

http://www.googleityoumoron.com

Gamma hydroxy butyric acid or GHB.

[constant thinker]

You know, till now, I never knew what GHB stood for. I knew what it was though.

No, I only want regular butyric acid for esterification and esterification only.

P.S. When ever you use the googleityoumouron.com website you should hide in the url tags. {url=http://www.googleityoumouron.com}here{url} would be the code. Just substitute { for [ and } for ].

[Borek]

P.S. When ever you use the googleityoumouron.com website you should hide in the url tags. {url=http://www.googleityoumouron.com}here{url} would be the code. Just substitute { for [ and } for ].

Wow, thank you for the lesson

[billnotgatez]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyric_acid

I find wikipedia friendlier than monster Google

I guess it would be easier to go to the vitamin store for this

[pantone159]

It is ordinarily prepared by the fermentation of sugar or starch, brought about by the addition of putrefying cheese, with calcium carbonate added to neutralize the acids formed in the process. The butyric fermentation of starch is aided by the direct addition of Bacillus subtilis.

The acid is an oily colorless liquid that solidifies at -8 °C; it boils at 164 °C. It is easily soluble in water, ethanol and ether, and is thrown out of its aqueous solution by the addition of calcium chloride. The calcium salt, Ca(C4H7O2)2·H2O, is less soluble in hot water than in cold.

The idea of synthesizing this by fermentation sounds kind of fun.

[billnotgatez]

I may in the future want to make cellulose acetate butyrate. I think it would be a nice challenge to use the products of fermentation like vinegar and putrefying cheese to make natural plastic.

I wonder what the original poster wanted to do with the Butyric Acid?

[constant thinker]

The reason I want butyric acid is to make methyl butyrate, and possibly other esters with it. Since I'm using it to make esters I'd prefer it do be highly concentrated.

Hmmm billnotgatez, I wonder what he wanted to with it?

Your idea sounds cool, too.

If I had the bacteria cultures, I would gladly give a shot at fermentation. Reading it now though, it sounds like the putrefying cheese gives me the bacteria I need though.