Autoxidation of the lead soaps of the linseed oil fatty acids

Lead palmitate and stearate did not autoxidise in the presence of water and their saturated solutions did not render water non-corrosive. Lead oleate, linoleate and linolenate autoxidised to give water-soluble inhibitive materials; lead linoleate and linolenate yielded in addition short-chain acids, the lead salts of which were corrosive at the pH of the extracts (4.6). The unsaturated lead salts also yielded water-soluble peroxides, which enabled a given lead salt to inhibit corrosion at a lower concentration.