Divinyl ethers and hydroxy fatty acids from three species of Laminaria (brown algae)
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Updated: Nov 8, 2026

Isolation and Compositional Analysis of Plant Cuticle Lipid Polyester Monomers
Published on: November 22, 2015
1College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331.
Abstract:
Three species of brown algae, Laminaria sinclairii, L. saccharina and L. setchellii, have been investigated for the presence of oxylipins. From one, L. sinclairii, three new divinyl ether fatty acids have been characterized as methyl ester derivatives (methyl 12-[1'(Z),3'(Z)-hexadienyloxy]-6(Z), 9(Z),11(E)-dodecatrienoate, methyl 12-[1'(Z),3'(Z)-hexadienyloxy]-9(Z), 11(E)-dodecadienoate, and methyl 14-[1'(Z),3'(Z)-hexadienyloxy]- 5(Z),8(Z),11(Z),13(E)-tetradecatetraenoate) by a variety of spectroscopic methods. In addition, one new [13(S)-hydroxy-6(Z),9(Z),11(E),15(Z)-octadecatetraenoic acid] and four known monohydroxy polyunsaturated fatty acids have been isolated from all three species as their methyl ester derivatives. The occurrence of these compounds in brown algae strongly suggests that these organisms possess an active lipoxygenase(s) with omega 6 specificity.
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Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
Preparation of Diols and Pinacol Rearrangement
The reaction begins with transferring a proton from the acid catalyst to one of the hydroxyl groups, producing an oxonium ion.

