Composition of the Cuticular Waxes of Picea abies and P. sitchensis

✍ Scribed by B. Prügel; G. Lognay

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 653 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0958-0344
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1565(199601)7:1<29::aid-pca278>3.0.co;2-l

✦ Synopsis

The chemical compositions of the cuticular lipids of the needles of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Sitka spruce (P. sitchensis) (Bong.) Carr.) were investigated by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Fractionation of the wax extracts was carried out using column chromatography. Long chain secondary alcohols, diols and free fatty acids were found as major classes in both species: n-alkanes, n-alkenes, primary alcohols, a,w-diols, ketones and w-hydroxyacids constituted the minor wax classes. The presence of large quantities of estolides (high molecular weight biopolymers) was tentatively confirmed by saponification of the crude extracts which led to the recovery of large quantities of w-hydroxyacids, a,w-diols and free fatty acids. Qualitative differences between the two examined species were observed for minor constituents such as long chain aldehydes, methyl-and ethyl-esters and some terpenes. Quantitatively the two wax extracts differed mainly in their proportions of diols and fatty acids.