Cyclic fatty acids: Removal of aromatic acids formed during hydrogenation

Monomeric fatty acids derived from the alkali treatment of linseed oil at temperatures above 200C contain cyclic (1,2-disubstituted cyclohexadiene) and straight-chain fatty acids. Hydrogenation converts cyclic to liquid, saturated cyclic acids that can be recovered in a pure state by crystallization. During hydrogenation (palladium catalyst) some of the unsaturated cyclic acids form aromatic fatty acids by loss of hydrogen and under some conditions are not subsequently hydrogenated. It was necessary to establish conditions for complete hydrogenation since color and oxidative stability at high temperature are inversely related to aromatic content. Previously, the preparation of cyclic acids free of aromatic acids was by hydrogenation in the presence of a high concentration of acetic acid. A further study of reaction variables established conditions to make saturated cyclic fatty acids free of aromatic without acetic acid. Factors favoring the elimination of aromatic acids include a high catalyst concentration, high temperature and pressure, good hydrogen dispersion in the liquid and good agitation. Presented in part at AOCS Meeting, New Orleans, April 1964. No. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Liquid C-18 saturated acids derived from linseed oil

Liquid C-18 saturated monocarboxylic acids that fail to crystallize at −70°C. have been prepared from linseed oil, linolenic acid, and tung oil. Heating one part of linseed oil in three parts of glycol (weight-volume ratio) at 295°C. for 1 hr. with 25% excess sodium hydroxide, followed by distillation and hydrogenation of the resulting free fatty acid monomers and separation of the straight-chain components by low temperature crystallization from acetone, yielded these liquid acids. The relative proportions of cyclic acids, straight-chain monomeric acids, and polymer varied with the type of starting material and with the conditions employed. Cyclic acids in excess of 30% yields were obtained from linseed oil. Some hydroxylation of the fatty acids apparently takes place during cyclization; the amount increases with ascending temperatures, as evidenced by a rise in polyester content of the polymer fraction. Evidence indicates that the bulk of the unhydrogenated cyclic acids are vicinal disubstituted cyclohexadienes. Gas chromatography of the cyclic acids hydrogenated to an iodine value <1 shows that there are several components. These have not as yet been separated and positively identified. Presented at fall meeting, American Oil Chemists' Society, New York, N.Y., October 17–19, 1960. This is a laboratory of the Northern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

Fractionation of tallow fatty acids. Preparation of purified oleic acid and an inedible olive oil substitute

Summary Tallow fatty acids have been fractionally crystallized from acetone at temperatures ranging from 0° to −60° C. By crystallizing at 0° to −20° C., a saturated acid fraction which amounts to 40 to 50% by weight of the starting material has been obtained. This fraction corresponds to “double- or triple-pressed stearic acid.” The filtrate acids from the crystallization at −20° C. contain over 90% of the oleic acid present in the starting material, and in fatty acid composition this mixture is similar to olive oil. From this fraction. which amounts to about 50% by weight of the starting material, a synthetic triglyceride with, properties approximating those of olive oil has been prepared. By low-temperature crystallization of this oleic-acid-rich fraction at −50° to −60° C., followed by fractional distillation, a good yield of purified oleic acid (oleic acid content, over 95%) has been obtained. One of the laboratories of the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, Agricultural Research Administration, United States Department of Agriculture.     

Desaturation of fatty acids inTrypanosoma cruzi

Uptake and metabolism of saturated (16∶0, 18∶0) and unsaturated [18∶1(n−9), 18∶2(n−6), 18∶3(n−3)] fatty acids by cultured epimastigotes ofTrypanosoma cruzi were studied. Between 17.5 and 33.5% of the total radioactivity of [1-¹⁴C]labeled fatty acids initially added to the culture medium was incorporated into the lipids ofT. cruzi and mostly choline and ethanolamine phospholipids. As demonstrated by argentation thin layer chromatography, gas liquid chromatography and ozonolysis of the fatty acids synthesized, exogenous palmitic acid was elongated to stearic acid, and the latter was desaturated to oleic acid and 18∶2 fatty acid. The 18∶2 fatty acid was tentatively identified as linoleic acid with the first bond in the Δ9 position and the second bond toward the terminal methyl end. Exogenous stearic acid was also desaturated to oleic and 18∶2 fatty acid, while oleic acid was only converted into 18∶2. All of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids investigated were also converted to a small extent (2–4%) into polyunsaturated fatty acids. No radioactive aldehyde methyl ester fragments of less than nine carbon atoms were detected after ozonolysis of any of the fatty acids studied. These results demonstrate the existence of Δ9 and either Δ12 or Δ15 desaturases, or both, inT. cruzi and suggest that Δ6 desaturase or other desaturases of the animal type are likely absent in cultured forms of this organism.     

Application of urea complexes in the purification of fatty acids,esters, and alcohols. III. Concentrates of natural linoleic and linolenic acids

Summary Concentrates of natural linoleic acid (linoleic acid content, 85–95%) have been prepared in 50–72% yields from corn oil fatty acids by preferential precipitation of the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids at room temperature as their urea complexes. By a similar procedure, concentrates of natural linolenic acid (linolenic acid content, 87–89%) have been prepared in 55–61% yields from perilla oil fatty acids by preferential precipitation of the saturated, monounsaturated, and diunsaturated fatty acids. Although concentrates of natural linolenic acid containing only 66–70% linolenic acid were obtained from linseed oil fatty acids, yields were 87–90%. A levelling-off effect has been observed in the use of the preferential precipitation technique in raising the purity of concentrates of linoleic and linolenic acid. This parallels the experience in the purification of these acids by low-temperature crystallization. The preceding papers in this series are references 12 and 13. Presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society, Cincinnati, O., Oct. 20–22, 1952. One of the laboratories of the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, Agricultural Research Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture.     

Metabolism of brain glycolipid fatty acids

The metabolism of the fatty acid moieties of brain cerebrosides, sulfatides, and gangliosides is reviewed and discussed. The methodology involved in the isolation of the fatty acids is described briefly. It seems clear now that most of these acids are made by chain elongation of intermediate length fatty acids by addition of acetate residues. The unsaturated acids are made by desaturation of the intermediate length acids (palmitic, heptadecanoic, stearic) followed by chain elongation. The hydroxy acids are made directly from the corresponding nonhydroxy acids, saturated, unsaturated, and odd-numbered. All the hydroxy acids undergo oxidative decarboxylation to yield fatty acids containing one less carbon atom. The odd-numbered acids are also made from propionate, which is elongated to intermediate length acids and then to longer acids. The major intermediate length “primer” acid seems to be palmitate, but there is evidence that the stearate used for cerebroside synthesis is also madede novo from acetate. The ganglioside fatty acids were found to turn over somewhat faster than the other fatty acids. Two metabolic pools for the cerebroside acids were found, one with a very high turnover rate, the other with a very low turnover rate. Presented at the Prof. Ernst Klenk Symposium on Glycolipids and the Nervous System, AOCS meeting, Houston, April 1965.     

Preparation of alcohols from cyclic fatty acids

Saturated C_18- and C₂₀-cyclic alcohols have been prepared by catalytic hydrogenation of methyl esters from cyclized linseed monomeric acids, purified saturated C₁₈-cyclic acids, ethylene adduct of conjugated soybean fatty acids, and ethylene adduct of conjugated octadecadienoic acids. The cyclic alcohols have also been prepared from free acids of crude cyclic linseed, cyclic linseed monomeric, and ethylene adduct of 9,11,t,t,-octadecadienoic. Conversion of esters and acids was 88–99% by hydroxyl determination; by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis, almost quantitative Hydrogenations were carried out with 10%, by weight, copper chromite catalyst, an initial hydrogen pressure of 2,100 psi, and a temperature of 280C for 3–5 hr. Preliminary evaluations indicate that saturated C_18- and C₂₀-cyclic alcohols have a potential use in cosmetic formulations. Presented AOCS meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., 1963. No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Heat treatment of vegetable oils I. Isolation of the cyclic fatty acid monomers from heated sunflower and linseed oils

Linseed and sunflower oils were heated at 275 C for 12 hr under nitrogen. The sunflower oil was also heated in a commercial fryer at 200 C for 48 hr using a 2-hr daily cycle. The cyclic fatty acid monomers (CFAM) formed during the heat treatment of the linseed oil were isolated by a combination of saponification, esterification, column chromatography on silicic acid and urea fractionation. The isolated CFAM fraction was 99% pure, the balance being some 12:2ω6. Another step was necessary to isolate the CFAM from heated sunflower oils. The urea adduct fractionation resulted in the isolation of a nonurea adduct fraction which contained a mixture of CFAM and 18:2ω6. These were further separated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C18 reverse phase column. Each fraction was analyzed by gas liquid chromatography and hydrogenated to determine the content of the C18 straight chain fatty acids. Presented in part at the AOCS meeting in May 1985 in Philadelphia, PA.     

Purification process for cod liver oil polyunsaturated fatty acids

The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20∶5n−3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22∶6n−3), which have several pharmaceutical properties, have been purified from cod liver oil. The process consisted of four main steps: (i) saponification of the oil, (ii) use of urea inclusion adducts method to obtain PUFA, (iii) PUFA methylation, and (iv) argentation silica gel column chromatography of the methylated PUFA. Argentation silica gel chromatography yielded highly pure DHA in the process (100% purity, 64% yiild). For EPA, the recovery in the combined process was 29.6%, and the final purity was 90.6%, owing to the simultaneous elution of other polyunsaturated fatty esters. The recovery in the urea inclusion method was strongly enhanced by application of orbital agitation during the crystallization process, in which EPA yield increased from 60–70% without agitation to 90–97% at 800 rpm; stearidonic acid (18∶4n−3) yield ranged from 60–75% without agitation to 87–95% at 800 rpm, and DHA yield varied from 53–73% without agitation to 85–99% at 800 rpm     

Composition and positional distribution of fatty acids in phospholipids isolated from pork muscle tissues

The composition and positional distribution of fatty acids in phospholipids isolated from four locations of a hog carcass is presented. Variations in fatty acid composition of phospholipids were found depending upon the location in the carcass. The total unsaturated fatty acid content averaged 34.3 mole % for lecithin, 52.5 mole % for phosphatidylethanolamine, 40.3 mole % for phosphatidylserine and 41.3 mole % in sphingomyelin. The cephalins had a much higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids than lecithin. The chief saturated fatty acid in lecithin and sphingomyelin was palmitic and in cephalins it was stearic. A snake venom enzyme preparation(Crotalus adamanteus) hydrolyzed primarily unsaturated fatty acids in phosphoglycerides and the higher the percentage of unsaturation within the fatty acid the higher percentage of hydrolysis occurred. The unsaturated fatty acids were found chiefly at the theβ-position and the saturated fatty acids at thea-position in the phosphoglycerides. Michigan State Agricultural Experiment Station Publication No. 3389. Supported by the U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant No. GM 08801-03.     

Determination of cyclic fatty acids by gas-liquid chromatography

A method is described to determine cyclic fatty acids in cyclic monomers by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), which separates saturated straight-chain esters from cyclic esters. The content of cyclic esters can be determined by integration of the area on the chromatograph under the cyclic peaks. GLC was applied to cyclic monomers made from linseed oil and from linolenic acid. Samples of both hydrogenated and nonhydrogenated cyclic monomers were analyzed; however, more reliable results were obtained on the hydrogenated samples. The results show a standard deviation of 0.25 for linseed oil and 0.36 for linolenic acid. Accuracy of the analysis was established by comparing data with that obtained by crystallization. The GLC method is approximately three times faster. Presented at the AOCS meeting, New Orleans, La., 1962. A laboratory of the No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div., ARS, U.S.D.A.     

Cyclic fatty acids from linolenic acid

Linolenic acid of 95% purity was heated with excess alkali in ethylene glycol to produce cyclic fatty acids. Reaction variables, which are associated with the cyclization reaction and which were investigated, included solvent-to-fatty-acid ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction temperature, headspace gas (N₂ or C₂H₄), and head-space gas pressure. Yields of cyclic acids were improved by increasing solvent ratio (1.5–6 wt basis), reaction temperature (225–295C), and catalyst concentration (10–100% excess). With nitrogen the optimum catalyst concentration was about 100% excess, but when ethylene was used, no increase was obtained beyond 50% excess catalyst. Yields of polymeric acids produced in the reaction generally decreased as cyclic acid yields increased, except in one instance. Higher yields of cyclic fatty acids were obtained with ethylene than with nitrogen under all comparable conditions, and increasing the ethylene pressure to as high as 500 psi improved the yield. Ethylene adds to the conjugated double bonds and is believed to give C₂₀ fatty acids having a 1,4-disubstituted monoene ring in the chain. The maximum yield of monomeric cyclic acids from 95% linolenic acid was 84.6%, the balance being polymeric and unreacted monomeric acids. Monomeric acids from this test contained 95% cyclic acids. Presented at AOCS meeting, New Orleans, 1962. No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div., ARS, U.S.D.A.     

The separation of solid fatty acids from liquid fatty acids by the formation of acid soaps. I. Tallow soaps

The formation of acid soaps has been used successfully for the separation of a mixture of fatty acids into high and low iodine value fractions. The acid soaps of saturated acid can be made to crystallize from water leaving their unsaturated counter parts in solution. Acid soaps of saturated fatty acids are well characterized compounds with the formula R-COOM.R-COOH, where R is a straight alkyl chain, and M is sodium, potassium or ammonium. Optimum crystallization conditions involve a soap concentration of 2–5%, pH adjustment to between 7.0 and 8.0, an initial crystallization temperature not below 25C, and a crystallization period of at least 4 hr during which time cooling to a final temperature of 5–10C must be gradual, and agitation gentle.     

Tall oil fatty acids

About 1949, with the advent of effective fractional distillation, the tall oil industry came of age, and tall oil fatty acids (TOFA), generally any product containing 90% or more fatty acids and 10% or less of rosin, have grown in annual volume ever since, until they amount to 398.8 million pounds annual production in the U.S. in 1978. Crude tall oil is a byproduct of the Kraft process for producing wood pulp from pine wood. Crude tall oil is about 50% fatty acids and 40% rosin acids, the remainder unsaps and residues; actually, a national average recovery of about 1–2% of tall oil is obtained from wood. On a pulp basis, each ton of pulp affords 140–220 pounds black liquor soaps, which yields 70–110 pounds crude tall oil, yielding 30–50 pounds of TOFA. Separative and upgrading technology involves: (a) recovery of the tall oil; (b) acid refining; (c) fractionation of tall oil; and occasionally (d) conversion to derivatives. TOFA of good quality and color of Gardner 2 corresponds to above 97% fatty acids with the composition of 1.6% palmitic & stearic acid, 49.3% oleic acid, 45.1% linoleic acid, 1.1% miscellaneous acids, 1.2% rosin acids, and 1.7% unsaponifiables.     

Component fatty acids of some cruciferae oils

Summary The oils from yellow mustard seed (Brassica alba), black mustard seed (Brassica nigra) of Indian origin, and rapeseed (Brassica Compestris) of unknown origin have been analyzed for their fatty acid composition without preliminary resolution of fatty acids by lead-salt-alcohol or fractional crystallization methods. The results compare very favorably with those determined by other recently developed methods. It may be concluded therefore that this method can be favorably employed for the determination of fatty acid composition of fats containing higher unsaturated acids. Confirmatory evidence has been obtained for the presence of eicosenoic acid in rapeseed oil. The nature and amount of fatty acids of yellow mustard seed oil of Indian origin do not differ in any significant manner from those of other cruciferous seed oils. The present analysis of black mustard seed oil reveals a higher amount of linolenic acid, and the presence of a C₂₀ monoethenoid acid, not heretofore reported. Contribution No. 708 from the Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh. Presented in part at the Spring meeting of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, held in New Orleans, La., May, 1948. Baliga and Hilditch’s paper. “The Component Acids of Rapeseed Oil” (J. Soc. Chem. Ind.67, 258–262 (1948).     

Methods for improving yields of cyclic acid from linseed oil

Liquid C-18 saturated monocarboxylic acids, which are termed “cylic acids” because they contain a ring structure, have been prepared by the action of excess sodium hydroxide on linseed oil in ethylene glycol at elevated temperatures, followed by distillation and hydrogenation of the resulting free fatty acid monomers and by separation of the straight-chain components by low-temperature crystallization from acetone. In a survey of other possible catalysts and reaction conditions, cyclic acid yields were improved from the previously reported 32.4 g to 43.5 g of cyclic acid per 100 g of linseed fatty acids by removing water from the starting materials and using the monosodium derivative of ethylene glycol as catalyst. The corresponding amount of polymer formed decreased because of a decrease in hydroxylation and subsequent polyester formation. Presented at the AOCS meeting, in Chicago, Ill., 1961. A laboratory of the No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div., ARS, U.S.D.A.     

Diels-Alder adducts from safflower oil fatty acids

Methyl esters of alkali-isomerized safflower oil fatty acids after elaidinization with sulfur were treated with styrene in the presence of hydroquinone, with or without solvents. A combination of column chromatography and gas liquid chromatography techniques was employed for the estimation of the methyl esters of unreacted fatty acids, Diels-Alder adduct and polymers in the reaction products. Maximum yield of the Diels-Alder adduct (26.6%) was obtained when the elaidinized methyl esters of the fatty acids were treated with 1.5 moles of styrene per mole of linoleic acid in safflower oil fatty acids at 200–210 C for 6 hr. The methyl ester of the adduct was isolated in about 90% purity from the reaction product by vacuum distillation followed by solvent fractionation. The butyl ester of the adduct and the epoxy derivative of the methyl ester adduct were prepared and characterized.     

Distribution and identification of the fatty acids from the coho salmon,Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)

To study the fatty acids of the coho salmon, entire fish were homogenized and the total lipids extracted with methanol-chloroform. The fish ranged in size from 75 to 85 mm total length and contained from 2.1%–6.9% lipid in the tissues. Methyl esters of the fatty acids were produced with anhydrous methanol and HCl. Qualitative identification of the fatty acid methyl esters was accomplished by gas-liquid chromatography. Thin layer silver nitrate-silicic acid plates were used to separate the component methyl esters according to the number of double bonds. Location of the ethylenic groups of the unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters was established by reductive ozonolysis and identification of the aldehydes and aldehyde-esters produced. The number of carbons in the unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters was determined by hydrogenation of each of the fractions. Fatty acids found in the highest concentrations were: 16∶0, 16∶1, 18∶0, 18∶1, 18∶4, and 22∶6. Fatty acids 16∶0, 18∶1, 18∶2, 20∶5, and 22∶6, differed markedly from concentrations found in tubificid worms, the exclusive diet of the fish during the experiment. Technical Paper No. 2059, Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station Work supported in part by research Grant No. EF105, U.S.P.H.S.     

The rare caribbean spongeLeucosolenia canariensis: Phospholipid fatty acids and sterols

The phospholipid fatty acid composition of the Calcarean spongeLeucosolenia canariensis was studied, and no Δ^5,9 fatty acids were detected. These results are in contrast to the phospholipids from sponges belonging to the class Demospongiae where Δ5,9 fatty acids are predominant. Odd branched-chain fatty acids between 17 and 19 carbons accounted for 26% of the total fatty acids ofL. canariensis, while straight-chain fatty acids between 16 and 22 carbons accounted for 61% of the total fatty acid composition. The sterol composition ofL. canariensis is also reported, and only Δ^5,7,22 sterols were observed.     

Unsaturated fatty acids. I. Low temperature urea complexes of polyunsaturated acids from bovine tissue

Summary A mixture of fatty acids obtained from autolyzed saline extracts of beef testicular tissue was fractionated by crystallization of the urea complexes at 5°, −20°, and −75°C. Fractions rich in docosahexaenoic and in arachidonic acids were obtained as solid complexes. The filtrate remaining after precipitation of the solid urea complexes contained a high percentage of hexaenoic acid of shorter chain length than docosahexaenoic, probably eicosahexaenoic acid. Presented at the fall meeting of the American Oil Chemists' Society, Minneapolis, Oct. 11–13, 1954. Presented in part before the Lipoid Section, IId International Congress of Biochemistry, Paris, France, Sept. 21, 1952.