Jatropha oil was extracted with hexane from the seeds of a shrub, Jatropha Curcas, in high yields, up to 40% by weight. The extracted oil was converted in a laboratory reactor to biodiesel methyl esters by transesterificadon with methanol using sodium hydroxide as catalyst. Analysis of Jatropha oil and the produced Jatropha biodiesel by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) showed that Jatropha oil could be readily converted to a biodiesel product through conventional transesterification. H-1 NMR spectroscopy was proven to be a useful tool for monitoring the progress of transesterification reaction to convert Jatropha oil to biodiesel. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.