ANALYSIS OF THE SEED LIPIDS OF ALEURITES MONTANA

The seed lipids of the Chinese tung-oil tree Aleurites montana are composed of 97.2% triglycerides, 2% phospholipids and of 0.8% glycolipids. In the triglycerides 67% of all fatty acids are α-eleostearic acid (configuration C₁₈:₃, ∆⁹ cis, ∆¹¹ trans, ∆¹³ trans). This acid is bound in the triglycerides in the 1,3 position. Via mercury Il-acetate adducts and subsequent chromatography on silica gel a separation of this fatty acid from the seed fatty acids is possible. By this procedure an a-eleostearic acid-free tung-oil mixture is obtained, which consists by one half of C₁₈:₂, 25% of C₁₈:₁ and by 25% of the saturated fatty acids C₁₆:₀, C₁₈:₀ and C₁₄:₀.