The eight diastereoisomers of 9,10,12,13-tetrahydroxystearic acid were prepared from a -linoleic acid (cis-9-cis-12-octadecadienoic acid). A new method of preparation was developed which establishes the spacial relationships of the hydroxyl groups in each diastereoisomer.Hazura (1) was the first to isolate a 9,10,12,13-tetrahydroxystearic acid (sativic acid) from the alkaline potassium permanganate oxidation of linoleic acid.Further study (2)(3)(4)(5)(6) of this oxidation reaction resulted in methods for improving the yield and it is now established that two diastereoisomers of the tetrahydroxystearic acid are formed in this reaction. The melting points of these acids are 173°( I) and 164°( II). The more soluble one has also been reported to melt at 157-159°, but according to Riemenschneider et al. ( 7) this is an eutectic mixture of the «-and jS-sativic1 acids melting at 173°and 164°. Nicolet and Cox (8) obtained two different diastereoisomers of 9,10,12,13-tetrahydroxystearic acid by treating linoleic acid with hypochlorous and hypobromous acids to form the dichloroand dibromo-dihydroxystearic acids. Replacement of the halogen atoms by hydroxyl groups gave two tetrahydroxystearic acids melting at 145°a nd 135°. Later work suggests that these acids are the same as the two diastereoisomers obtained in the peracetic acid oxidation of linoleic acid (9), or the alkaline potassium permanganate oxidation of linolelaidic acid (10) which are now described as melting at 146°( III) and 126°or 122°( IV). Kass and Burr (10) prepared a third set of diastereoisomers of 9,10,12,13-tetrahydroxystearic acid by the alkaline potassium permanganate oxidation of the trans-cis or cis-trans geometric isomer of linoleic acid. The melting points of these acids are given as 156-158°( V) and 126°( VI). The melting point of the former has now been raised to 164°. A seventh diastereoisomer of tetrahydroxystearic acid was re-1. A method is described for the preparation of the eight diastereoisomers of 9,10,12,13-tetrahydroxystearic acid from -linoleic acid. The special arrangements of the hydroxyl groups in each diastereoisomer are deduced from this method of preparation.2. Two new fatty acids cis-and trans-9,10-dihydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid are also described.3. The present system of nomenclature applied to the tetrahydroxystearic acids is discussed.