The pyrolysis of raw corn oil in he absence and presence of Lewis acids was carried out at 500 degrees C. The catalytic effect of AlCl3 was better than that of FeCl3. The physico-chemical properties of diesel-like fuels produced by Lewis acid catalyzed are close to that of commercial diesel fuel. The diesel-like fuels obtained from catalytic runs can be evaluated as diesel fuels. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.