Abstract: The proposal is for unsaturated fatty substances with improved cold behavior obtained by (a) transesterifying a new low stearic (LS) sunflower oil with an oleic acid content of over 85 wt. % and a stearic acid content of under 3 wt. %, and (b) hydrogenating the resultant methyl esters in the prior art manner into the corresponding unsaturated fatty alcohols in the iodine number range from 90 to 100. The fatty substances are also distinguished by improved color and odor and are suitable for making fatty chemical products, e.g. alkoxylates, ether sulphates, sulphates and esters.

Abstract: A process for the production of polyol ethers comprising the steps ofA) reacting a mixture of at least one polyol and at least one carbonyl compound of the formulaR.sup.1 --CO--R.sup.2 (I)in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently of one another represent hydrogen or aliphatic hydrocarbon radicals containing 1 to 22 carbon atoms and 0, 1, 2, or 3 double bonds, with hydrogen at an elevated temperature in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst which is insoluble in the reaction mixture; andB) removing the polyol ether-containing reaction product from the catalyst.