I have no idea what type of metal oxide you would use for a transesterification. Transestefication to what type of smaller ester? Are you talking
about transesterifying say a triglyceride (i.e. vegetable oils, let's say canola\rapeseed oil) into its methyl ester?
I'm guessing that's what you're after, some information on FAMEs (fatty acid methyl esters) which are commonly used in biodiesels, and in quantitate
analysis of the fatty acids (ex. myristic, palmitic, linoleic, olei acid, etc.). These transestefications are usually done using methanol solution of
sodium methoxide and/or boron trifluoride, diazomethane works as well.
Some common metal oxides that exhibit catalytic activity (to name a few) would be nickel oxide, copper oxide, lanthanum nickel oxide (LaNiO3), even
iron (II) oxide exhibits some activity. Much depends on the reaction conditions and also the reaction itself. They help reactions go to completion
more quickly by lowering the activation energy barrier (like any catalyst). If you're concerned about the mechanism behind the reactions, or have some
particular catalyst(s) in mind, I suggest you consult the ACS journals, or go to a college library to research.
[Edited on 18-4-2006 by Fleaker]
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