Volatile compounds produced by copper‐catalyzed oxidation of butterfat

Anhydrous butterfat treated with copper and stored under vacuum at 38C in the dark for 9 weeks yielded the C 5‐8 n ‐alkanes, acetic acid and the C 4,5,7,9 alkan‐2‐ones. The same butterfat stored under oxygen for 1 week yielded the C 1,2,3,5–7 n ‐alkanes, the C 2,4‐6,8 alk‐l‐enes, the C 7,8 alk‐l‐ynes, the C 2‐6 n ‐alkanoic acids, ethanol, the C 2‐7 n ‐alkanals, 3‐methylbutanal and 4‐methylpentanal, the C 1‐4 n ‐alkyl formates, ethyl acetate and propionate, n ‐propyl acetate and propionate, and butanone. Both treatments yielded carbon dioxide. All samples including those not treated with copper yielded butane‐2,3‐dione.