Cyclopropenoic acids of Pavonia sepium seed oil

Abstract

The seed oil of Pavonia sepium (Malvaceae) contains sterculic (7%) and malvalic (4%) acids. Countercurrent distribution in a hexane-acetonitrile system concentrated and resolved the homologus cyclopropenoid methyl esters. Reductive ozonolysis of selected countercurrent distribution fractions gave β-diketoesters, which were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as derivatives of sterculic and malvalic acids. Pavonia sepium is the first known species in the plant family Malvaceae whose seed oil contains more sterculic than malvalic acid. © 1973 American Oil Chemists' Society.