FATTY ACID COMPOSITIONS OF WAXES AND GLYCERIDES FROM SPERM WHALE OIL

The sperm whale oil was divided into several fractions by the column chromatography as shown in Table 2 and the components eluted were checked by thin-layer chromatography (Fig. 1). Fatty acids obtained from the waxes fraction (b, c and d1) and the glycerides fraction (d3, e and f1) were subjected to gas-liquid chromatography, respectively. The results are shown in Table 3. Mean carbon numbers of fatty acids in both waxes and glycerides are same and unsaturated fatty acids are contained more in waxes. Concentrations of myristic, palmitoleic and oleic acids in waxes are same as those of glycerides, respectively. Lauric, tetradecenoic and eicosenoic acids are more in the former, but palmitic and docosenoic acids more in the latter. Major components fatty acids are in the order as given in Table 4. Oleic acid is dominant both in waxes and glycerides. The order of eicosenoic and palmitoleic acids or that of docosenoic and palmitic acids is found to be reversal in the both fractions.