Gas Liquid Chromatography of Cyclopropene Fatty Acids of Bombax oleagineum Decne* Oil

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of the B. oleagineum (Decne.) seed oil was investigated by using gas liquid chromatography (G. L. C.). It was found that the oil contains cyclopropene fatty acids, namely malvalic and sterculic. These acids were decomposed on the column and gave artefacts which have the same equivalent chain length (E.C.L.), of oleic and palmitic acids. These difficulties were circumvented by hydrogenating the mixed methyl esters of the oil sample. The fatty acid composition is: 50.5%, palmitic; 3. 7%, stearic; 5. 0%, oleic; 7. 9 %, linoleic, 29. 8 %, sterculic, and malvalic 4. 9%