AbstractDodecenyl succinic anhydride (DDSA), a liquid anhydride curing agent for epoxy resins, was synthesised from C12olefin and maleic anhydride by the “ene synthesis” reaction. C12olefin was prepared by the dehydration of lauryl alcohol using Al2O3(acidic) catalyst. The dehydration was carried out in a flow type reactor. The olefin collected was found to be a mixture of positional isomers of C12olefin. Systematic studies were carried out by varying the dehydration temperature, mode of feeding and flow rate of lauryl alcohol, and the C12olefin collected were converted into DDSA and mechanical properties of an epoxy resin–DDSA system were evaluated. The C12olefins and DDSA were characterized, and the properties correlated with structure and composition. It was found that DDSA derived from C12olefin with double bond near to the center of the chain gave better tensile strength than the DDSA derived from C12olefin with terminal double