Abstract
Spinach contains a fat of great interest. In 1919, it was shown by Osborne and Mendel(1) that spinach is richer in the fat-soluble vitamins than most vegetables. Considerable work has been done since then to differentiate between the growth-producing and antirachitic factors in this fat, thus focusing attention on the unsaponifiable extract of spinach. We have been unable to find in the literature any detailed examination of the fat itself,.and, while this may not be of such general interest as the vitaminbearing fraction, nevertheless it is valuable in that it gives us more complete knowledge of the occurrence of these biologically active materials, knowledge that may assume increasing significance as the study of vitamins progresses.
Highlights
The alcohol was removed by distillation, the residue dissolved in ether, and washed with 1 per cent H&04
The resulting esters were saponified and oxidized with alkaline permanganate, yielding a small amount of a white powder melting at 12%129”, and having the solubilities of dihydroxystearic acid
68 kilos of spinach yielded 550 gm. of fatty acids, of which 47 per cent were present as glyceride and 53 per cent free
Summary
The alcohol was removed by distillation, the residue dissolved in ether, and washed with 1 per cent H&04. This washed ether solution was extracted with 10 per cent KOH to remove free fatty acids. The KOH extract was acidified, extractedwith ether, and the free fatty acids, mixed with considerable chlorophyll, obtained as a green, sticky mass upon evaporation of the ether.
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