Preparative fractionation of triglyceride mixtures according to acyl carbon number, using hydroxyalkoxypropyl...

The present paper describes the use of hydroxyalkoxypropyl Sephadex in a liquid chromatography system. When the column is held at 40 degrees C, and when elution is made with a linear gradient of two solvents, an excellent separation of saturated triglycerides in the region C(9)-C(56) is obtained in 24 hr, even with sample loads as high as 0.5 g/cm(2) of column. Triglycerides containing unsaturated fatty acids are eluted more rapidly than their saturated homologs, one C-C double bond being equivalent to -1.42 fatty acid carbon atoms.