I am interested in creating an amide of stearic acid. I thought that simply mixing both of them in some solvent, heating the solution, and using a vacuum pump to distill the liberated water (to drive the reaction forward) would be enough.
But a bit of research showed that this synthesis is normally done with acyl chlorides derivatives or methyl ester derivatives or other more elaborate methods.
Without access to those tools, is it still possible for me to produce a good yield of amide, using only a fatty acid, a primary or secondary amine, a solvent, and heating & vacuum?
(Secondary optional question: If I use ethanolamine, what will be formed preferentially, the amino-ester or the hydroxy-amide?)