Chromatography on silicic acid of the unsaponifiable matter of fats

A method has been described for the separation of unsaponifiables into their major chemical classes by silicie acid adsorption chromatography. Methods are also presented for the isolation of unsaponifiables free of fatty acids. The chromatographic procedure was tested on synthetic mixtures of hydrocarbons, esters, alcohols, and sterols and then applied to the unsaponifiables of extracted and pressed olive oils, soybean, teaseed, and rapeseed oils, lard, and tallow. The major sterol of all the unsaponifiables examined was found to be β‐sitosterol. Analytical data such as infrared analysis, carbon‐hydrogen analysis, melting points of derivatives, and paper chromatography of the sterol fractions are also presented.