Since the chemistry of the lipides was reviewed by Hilditch (1) in 1953, new and interesting fatty acids have been discovered and the mechanisms of autoxidation and of fat -synthesis have become better understood, as has the relationship between fatty acid composition and species. In this review it -is proposed to emphasise items selected from publications that have become available during the year ending November, 1955.FATTY ACIDS Estimation and separation.-As a means of separating fatty acid mixtures paper chromatography has continued to prove a useful field of research. To separate fatty acids within the range C2 to C24, filter paper impregnated with high boiling point petroleum hydrocarbon as the stationary phase has been used with the following solvents f o r the mobile phase: aqueous methanol (2, 3), methanol-acetone mixtures (2), and aqueous acetic acid (4, 5). Ac cording to Kaufmann & Nitsch (4) acetic acid-water mixtures give sharper separations than the diluted alcohols and may even be used to separate oleic and linoleic acids (6). To secure reproducible results Spiteri (5) has empha sised the need for care in the method of impregnating filter paper with the stationary phase. He also showed the sensitivity of the method by providing evidence for the occurrence of behenic and lignoceric acids in olive oil. Tp lo cate the acid, bromocresol green (2), ammoniacal silver nitrate (5), copper acetate-potassium ferrocyanide (4), and rhodamine B (4) have been �sed.
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