The average functionality (number of hydroxyl groups per triglyceride molecule) of castor oil is 2.7, so it is widely used as a rigid polyol and in coatings. One particular use is in a polyurethane concrete where a castor-oil emulsion is reacted with an isocyanate (usually polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) and a cement and construction aggregate. This is applied fairly thickly as a slurry, which is self-levelling. This base is usually further coated with other systems to build a resilient floor.Castor oil is not a drying oil, meaning that it has a low reactivity with air compared with oils such as linseed oil and tung oil. Dehydration of castor oil yields linoleic acids, which do have drying properties. In this process, the OH group on the ricinoleic acid along with a hydrogen from the next carbon atom are removed yielding a double bond which then has oxidative cross-linking properties yielding the drying oil. Precursor to industrial chemicals
Castor oil can react with other materials to produce other chemical compounds that have numerous applications. Transesterification followed by steam cracking gives undecylenic acid, a precursor to specialized polymer nylon 11, and heptanal, a component in fragrances. Breakdown of castor oil in strong base gives 2-octanol, both a fragrance component and a specialized solvent, and the dicarboxylic acid sebacic acid. Hydrogenation of castor oil saturates the alkenes, giving a waxy lubricant. Castor oil may be epoxidized by reacting the OH groups with epichlorohydrin to make the triglycidyl ether of castor oil which is useful in epoxy technology.
SERKAL syndrome (SEx Reversion, Kidneys, Adrenal and Lung dysgenesis) is an autosomal recessive disorder in XX humans. It is caused by loss of function in WNT4, a protein involved in sex development. The main outcome is female to male sex reversal. Other names include sex reversion-kidneys and adrenal and lung dysgenesis syndrome. The conditions prevalence is lower than 1 in 1,000,000. Presentation
The effect of the disorder is female to male sex reversal. Patients also exhibit renal, adrenal, and lung dysgenesis. One indicator is low levels of unconjugated estriol in maternal serum, because this denotes adrenal hypoplasia. Genetics
The disorder is linked to a mutation in the Wnt4 gene. There is an intraexonic homozygous C to T transition at cDNA position 341. This leads to an alanine to valine residue substitution at amino acid position 114, a location highly conserved in all organisms, including zebrafish and Drosophila. A subsequent influence on mRNA stability leads to protein loss of function. WNT4 usually represses male sex development. Diagnosis
References
External links
SERKAL syndrome (The Monarch Initiative)