Title THE SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF THE FATTY AND HYDROXY FATTY ACIDS OF WHITE FIR BARK WAX

Abstract approved 1, This investigation was undertaken to develop a proced-ure by which the fatty acids could be separated from the hydroxy fatty acids of bark waxes. The specific hexane-insoluble, benzene- soluble wax used in this research was ob-tained from the bark of white fir,,bias, copcolor, (Lindi. and Gord.). The acids were removed from the other components of the wax by a process of saponification, then acidification, followed by extraction with benzene, then hexane. These crystals were resaponified, extracted with hot benzene, and then acidified. This procedure resulted in two crude free acid fractions, I and II. Then separately, fractions I and II were subjected to a purification procedure which was designed to yield pur