Improved identification of monomethyl paraffin chain branching (close to the methyl end) of long-chain compounds by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

✍ Scribed by K.-A. Karlsson; B.E. Samuelsson; G.O. Steen

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1973
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 815 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-3084
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-3084(73)90049-2

✦ Synopsis

An improved method for the identification of monomethyl substituted paraffin chains (n-2, n 3 and n-4) by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry is presented. Fatty acids and sphingolipid long-chain bases were converted to their corresponding alcohols, which were analyzed as methyl ethers. These compounds were better separated on packed columns (XE-60) than other derivatives, and the low temperature of analysis minimized the bleeding of stationary phase into the mass spectrometer. Mass spectra of methyl ethers allowed a more conclusive identification of branches than of other derivatives. The method may be generally applied to fatty acids, aldehydes and alcohols.