Fatty Acids and Ester Homologs
(Saturated and Unsaturated, Odd and Even – Chains)
Acid-Methyl Esters – Ethyl Esters
• Glycerides
Triglycerides – Diglycerides – Monoglycerides
• Acid Chlorides
• Fatty Alcohols
• Fatty Acetates
• Cholesteryl Esters
• Alkyl-Methane-Sulfonates
• Soaps of Fatty Acids
• Wax Esters
Even numbered chains of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids occur predominately in many of nature's animal and vegetable fats and oils.
Until recently it was assumed that the occurrence of straight chain odd number fatty acids in natural fat were rare. Recently analytical instrumentation has proven this to be a fallacy, since the presence of odd number carbon fatty acids have been shown to occur as minor constituents in practically every natural fat. What role they actually play in nature's scheme may be eventually established by continued research.
Nu-Chek high purity lipids are isolated in our own laboratory from the best commercial animal or vegetable oil source available. Fatty acid chains of odd numbered compounds are generally synthesized by chain extension. Saturated chains and the unsaturated series (other than polyunsaturated fats) are always purified by a final distillation on a hundred theoretical plate high vacuum fraction column. This is done to remove color along with other extraneous trace impurities. Only those fractions on which impurities are unable to be detected even with large overloads both by GLC and TLC are made available for product sale.
The Isolation of high purity compounds (even the saturated series) are always protected under an atmosphere of inert gas (i.e. N2). The final product, with the exception of high melting saturated compounds, is always flushed with nitrogen, sealed in Pyrex glass ampules under vacuum, and stored under cold conditions of -30°C or lower until ready for shipment.
Whenever possible, our pure fatty acids and esters are isolated from their natural source by various physical techniques holding the conversion of unwanted Isomers to a negligible minimum.