<p dir="ltr">Vegetable oils are a fundamental part of human civilization. Beyond their nutritional value and functional implementation in food applications, their triglyceride structure facilitates their implementation as industrial inputs. Furthermore, applications such as metal gear fluids and gear oil represent a valuable market due to their environmental impact and widespread application. Soybean oil is one of the most produced oilseeds in the U.S., and recently, novel oil varieties such as high oleic soybean oil (HOSBO) tackle drawbacks in the use of vegetable oil such as the heterogeneous fatty acid composition by increasing the concentration of oleic acid. This dissertation evaluates the successful implementation of HOSBO and SBO as lubricant and gear oils through epoxy ring opening reactions for synthesizing polyols and estolides. Epoxidation of double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids creates reaction sites for the branching of fatty acids in estolides or hydroxylated moieties in the case of polyols. The difference in fatty acid composition is shown in terms of thermomechanical characteristics. HOSBO polyols and estolides are solid to semi-solid greases with high viscosities and SAE grades as gear oils from 85W up. In contrast, SBO-derived oils have lower viscosities and a larger viscosity index.</p><p dir="ltr">The second part of this research focuses on the kinetics of the hydroxylation defined by distinctive fatty acid compositions. The sites of reaction in the double bonds can be, in part, sterically hindered by the glycerol backbone. Thus, this chapter focuses on the influence of the reaction rates given the fatty acid composition of the oil. Consumption of epoxide groups in HOSBO and SBO was modeled under pseudo-first-order kinetics. The results highlight the benefit of using HOSBO with reaction rates at least 30% faster than SBO. Furthermore, the progress of the reaction was monitored by FTIR, which highlighted the formation of ether groups corresponding to the addition of 1-propanol branches. However, further optimization steps must focus on the controlled removal of water in order to prevent the esterification of the oil and the resulting increase of free fatty <a href="" target="_blank">acids</a><a href="#_msocom_1" target="_blank">[EAS1]</a> .</p><p dir="ltr"><a href="#_msoanchor_1" target="_blank">[EAS1]</a>Seems to end abruptly</p><p><br></p>