An oxidation‐adsorption method for the analysis of methyl ester fractions

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Abstract
Summary: Conversion of the unsaturated components of the fractions obtained in the analytical distillation of fatty oil methyl esters to short‐chain acidic fragments by permanganate oxidation, and their subsequent adsorption on alumina tinted with bromthymol blue is the basis for the method described. Recovery experiments show a) that the removal of these fragments is practically quantitative, provided acids lower than lauric are not present in the mixtures in appreciable amounts, b) that duplicate samples agree within 1% of the saturated ester content, and c) that reproducibility of results is of the order of 0.6%. In a series of determinations on mixtures of methyl esters the results obtained by the procedure described were found to be in good agreement with those obtained by calculation from iodine and thiocyanogen numbers or by alkali isomerization. Because only small samples are required the method is particularly applicable to the analysis of distillate fractions.
Funding Information
  • Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation