To det. optimum conditions for ethanolysis of vegetable oils, 1 mol oleic acid (C-18:1 72.26, C-18:2 10.14, C-18:3 0.59 %) was esterified with 25 mols abs. EtOH and 4% of H2SO4 as from catalyst at 25 degrees C, but the ester phase did not strati 0 the excess of EtOH. Rapeseed and soyabean oils transesterified with abs. or rectified EtOH over K(Na)OH as catalyst did not sep. the esters from glycerol. The optimum crude or refined rapeseed (or soyabean) oil transesterification conditions that secure spontaneous stratification of the glycerol and the ester phases are: abs. EtOH 100% excess over theory, 1% (oil wt. basis) EtONa as catalyst, mixing 1-15 min at 25-30 degrees C, and settling time 24 hrs. The glycerol hypophase vol. is then about twice the theory and triglycerides are converted in 97%. Otherwise, glycerol or water added with vigorous stirring to, or the EtOH distd. off from, the homogeneous reaction mixt., enforced the stratification. The Et esters were epoxidized with in situ peracetic acid (H2O2 + AcOH) and H2SO4 or preferably an acidic cation-exchange resin (Wofatit KIDS) as catalyst. The epoxidates were made to react with diethanolamine and isopropanolamine and the resulting adducts were oxyethylenated to yield nonionic surfactants. Surface tension isotherms, contact angle, foam height, and emulsion stability were detd.