The branched-chain fatty acids of mutton fat. II. The isolation of (+)-12-methyltetradecanoic acid and the 13-methyltetradecanoic acid.

The presence of trace quantities of odd-numbered iso and anteiwo branched-chain fatty acids in hydrogenated mutton fat has been established by the isolation of 13-methyltetradecanoic acid, (+ )-12-methyltetradecanoic acid, (+ )-14-methylhexadecanoic acid and 10-methyldodecanoic acid (Hansen, Shorland & Cooke, 1953, 1952, 1954a). In the present paper is reported the isolation from hydrogenated mutton fat of trace quantities of an even-numbered iso acid, 16-methylheptadecanoic acid (isostearic acid), which has not formerly been found in any natural fat, although it has been isolated from wool grease (Weitkamp, 1945; ShengLieh Liu, 1952) and has been synthesized (Fordyce & Johnson, 1933; Weitkamp, 1945; Stenhagen & Tagtstrom-Eketorp, 1945; Hougen, Ilse, Sutton & de Villiers, 1953; Milburn & Truter, 1954).