The invention provides a composition comprising a mixture of tridecanols wherein at least about 60 wt % of the mixture is linear tridecanol and at least about 10 wt % of the mixture is branched tridecanols wherein the branched tridecanols have branching on the second carbon atom. The mixture of tridecanols may be converted to one or more derivatives, and these derivatives may be used in laundry detergents, cleaning products or as an agricultural adjuvant, an emulsifying agent, a lubricant additive, a pour point depressant, or a personal care ingredient.

A viscosity index improver containing, in diluent oil, one or more optionally functionalized linear block copolymers having at least one block derived from alkenyl arene covalently linked to at least one block derived from diene in an amount that is greater than the critical overlap concentration (c.sub.h*), in mass %, for the linear block copolymers in the diluent oil; and ester base stock and/or at least one star (or radial) polymer, the star polymer being present in an amount such that the c/c.sub.h* value of the star polymer in the concentrate falls within the range of from 0.01 to about 1.6, wherein c is the concentration in mass % of star polymer in the concentrate and c.sub.h* is the critical overlap concentration in mass % for the star polymer in the diluent oil used to form the concentrate.

A lubricant composition, method for reducing a boundary friction coefficient of a lubricant composition, and method for improving fuel economy. The lubricant composition includes a base oil, a) a metal-containing phosphorus antiwear compound in an amount sufficient to provide from about 100 to about 1000 ppm by weight phosphorus based on a total weight of the lubricant composition, and b) an oxygen-polymerized vegetable oil, different from the base oil. The base oil is present in the lubricant composition in an amount from about 50 wt. % to about 99 wt. % based on the total weight of the lubricant composition.

Provided herein are compounds of the formula:

##STR00001##

in which n is an integer equal to or greater than 1; R.sub.2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; and R.sub.1, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4, independently for each occurrence, are selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched, wherein compositions comprising the compounds are characterized by particular combinations of values for estolide number, kinematic viscosity, and pour point. Also provided are compositions containing the compounds and methods of making both the compounds and compositions thereof.

Provided herein are methods of making estolide base oils, including those having a high kinematic viscosity. In certain embodiments, an ultra high-viscosity estolide base oil is prepared from hydroxy fatty acids derived from the hydrolysis of a first estolide base oil.

Polyalkyl(meth)acrylate based polymers which include straight chained C.sub.18-24 alkyl(meth)acrylates and have an average carbon number of 7.0 to 7.5 and a weight-average molecular weight of 300,000 g/mol or greater are a useful component for a lubricant composition. Furthermore, lubricant compositions containing such polymers show improved high temperature-high shear performance, especially in engine oil (EO) compositions.

An object of this invention is to provide a lubricating base oil that has a small rate of change in viscosity (a high viscosity index) over a wide temperature range, low viscosity at low temperatures, and good low-temperature fluidity and evaporation resistance, and that allows reduced decomposition thereof. To achieve the object, methylpentanediol diesters obtained by using specific aliphatic monocarboxylic acids are used as a lubricating base oil.

Provided herein are compounds of the formula: ##STR00001##
in which n is an integer equal to or greater than 1; R.sub.2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; and R.sub.1, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4, independently for each occurrence, are selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched, wherein compositions comprising the compounds are characterized by particular combinations of values for estolide number, kinematic viscosity, and pour point. Also provided are compositions containing the compounds and methods of making both the compounds and compositions thereof.

Provided herein are estolide compositions having high oxidative stability, said compositions comprising at least one compound of formula:

##STR00001##

in which n is an integer equal to or greater than 0; m is an integer equal to or greater than 1; R.sub.1, independently for each occurrence, is selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; R.sub.2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; and R.sub.3 and R.sub.4, independently for each occurrence, are selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched. Also provided herein are uses for the compositions and methods of preparing the same.

The present invention relates to synthetic ester compositions, and to dielectric fluid compositions containing them, as well as to methods of manufacturing the ester compositions and dielectric fluid compositions containing them, and to an electrical apparatus containing the dielectric fluid compositions.