Use of mercuric acetate addition to prepare unsaturated fatty ester concentrates

Mereuric acetate in methanol was reacted with unsaturated fatty acid esters in mixtures prepared from linseed, safflower and menhaden oils and pig liver and beef adrenal lipids. Methanol solutions retained predominantly the adducts of the more highly unsaturated esters when extracted with either n‐pentane or commercial pentane (Skellysolve F). The free esters were recoverable from the adducts. Linoleate of 95% purity and linolenate of 90% purity were obtained directly from natural oils by this procedure. Concentrates of more highly unsaturated acids were obtained similarly.