Oxidation products of α-tocopherol formed in autoxidizing methyl linoleate

The oxidation products of¹⁴C-α-tocopherol formed by heating with methyl linoleate in an air atmosphere at 60 C or 100 C were investigated. The products included a dimer, trimer and dihydroxy dimer, α-tocopherol quinone and unidentified degradation compounds. The dimer and trimer constituted the major products present after heating for 70 hr at 60 C. After 70 hr at 100 C most of the¹⁴C-α-tocopherol had been converted to degradation products; part of the¹⁴C originallt present in the 5-methyl group was recovered as¹⁴CO₂ and¹⁴CH₃OH.