Spectrophotometric and chromatographic investigations of the oil of sapium sebiferum

Summary Absorption spectra of stillingia oil and its acids indicate the presence of a new fatty acid with a smooth absorption band having a maximum at 2600 Å and an inflection at 3100 Å. This light absorptive property appears to be associated with the optical activity and high refractive index. The light absorption and optical activity are reduced by heat in the absence of air. The unknown constituent can be concentrated by chromatographic adsorption of the ethyl esters in alcohol solution on an alumina column. Chromatography of stillingia oil indicates that it can be separated into fraction having widely different properties.