A purple flower native to China could hold the key to the development of environmentally friendly lubricants.

An international team of researchers discovered that almost half of the seed oil contained in the Orychophragmus violaceus plant is composed of previously unidentified fatty acid compounds. The seed oil Seed oil components of the plant may lead to a new class of environmentally friendly lubricants. Source: Chunyu Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural Universitycontains a fatty acid marked by a long linear molecule made when some two-carbon units are added repeatedly to the end of the molecule. Each of these elongation steps requires a four-reaction cycle to add the carbon units, but in O. violaceus, one of those cycles is only partially completed, leading to the formation of unusual compounds.

The findings could provide clues as to what chemically makes the O. violaceus seed oil a superior lubricant. Compared to castor oil, a common bio-based lubricant used in engine oils, researchers found that seed oil from this species demonstrates better friction and wear reduction and withstands higher temperature stability.

Scientists from Huazhong Agricultural University (China), University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and University of North Texas contributed to this research.