The occurrence of the chick pericardial edema factor in some oleic acids and products derived therefrom

Summary A number of samples of commercially‐prepared (U.S.P.) oleic acids and glycerol esters of oleic acids were shown to contain a material which produces pericardial edema in chicks. The active material was concentrated from either the oleic acid or the glycerol mono‐ester by molecular distillation. Four of the 11 samples of oleic acid were inactive; this indicates that the pericardial edema is not caused by the fatty acid itself but by an incidental material in the fatty acid.