Ricinoleic Acid (technical, castor oil fatty acids)
INCI Ricinoleic Acid. Saponified with NaOH it is listed as Sodium Ricinoleate, with KOH as Potassium Ricinoleate. CAS 141-22-0, 7431-95-0; EC 205-470-2, as CosIng gives them. Also: 12-Hydroxy-cis-9-octadecenoic acid, Castor oil fatty acids, Technical ricinoleic acid.
Published values
| Saponification value | 185–190 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 187.5 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1337 g/g |
| Iodine value | 85–90 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 100 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
A bar made of 100 % Ricinoleic Acid
Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.
How much lye
| Oil | NaOH | KOH |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 63.5 g(62.6–64.3) | 89.1 g(87.9–90.3) |
| 1 kg | 127.0 g(125.3–128.7) | 178.1 g(175.8–180.5) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 57.6 g(56.8–58.4) | 80.8 g(79.7–81.9) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 115.2 g(113.7–116.7) | 161.6 g(159.4–163.7) |
For this oil alone at 5 % superfat, with pure sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or pure potassium hydroxide (KOH); in brackets, across the published range of its saponification value. KOH is usually sold at 90 %: divide by 0.9. For a whole recipe, open the calculator.
Fatty-acid profile
Saturated : unsaturated 0 : 100
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricinoleic acid | C18:1-OH | 84–88 | 86.0 |
Where these numbers come from
Specifications/Value table on page 1: specific gravity, viscosity, acid value, ricinoleic acid content, iodine index, Gardner colour, hydroxyl value, saponification value, formula, CAS/EINECS. TDS dated 'May 2026' (day unknown; documentDate uses the first of the month).
Producer TDS (Traquisa, May 2026) for technical ricinoleic acid obtained by saponification/splitting of refined castor oil (CAS 61789-44-4, 'Fatty acids, castor oil'): acid value 165 mg KOH/g (printed as a single limit; theoretical for pure ricinoleic acid, MW 298, is ~188), saponification value 185-190 mg KOH/g, iodine index (Wijs) 85-90, hydroxyl value 150-160 mg KOH/g, ricinoleic acid content 84-88 %, specific gravity 25 C 0.939-0.940, Gardner colour 3, liquid oil. The TDS states the product contains no linolenic acid; the remaining 12-16 % (mainly oleic/linoleic/saturates typical of castor fatty acids) is not itemised, so only ricinoleic is mapped. Free fatty acid: neutralises rather than saponifies; for lye calculation the SAP (185-190) is the relevant figure. The TDS gives 'INCI name: Ricinoleic acid'. Values were read from the PDF with pdftotext in raw reading order; the layout-mode extraction shifts the value column by one row, so the raw-order pairing (acid value 165, ricinoleic 84-88, iodine 85-90, hydroxyl 150-160, saponification 185-190) is the one used here.
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