THE SEPARATION OF SOME TERPENOID COMPOUNDS BY GAS–LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Abstract

A study has been made of the degree of separation of mixtures of some terpene hydrocarbons, some of their oxygenated derivatives, two sesquiterpene alcohols, and three monophenols on a variety of columns. Temperature and sample size affected the degree of separation and the solid support Chromosorb W, a calcined diatomaceous earth, was found to combine the advantages of Celite and C-22 firebrick without causing decomposition of the sample at higher temperatures. When Craig polyesters were used as liquid phases, separations equal to those obtained on polyethylene glycol were realized with the added advantage that these produced columns which are stable at 190 to 220 °C. Consequently, sesquiterpene alcohols and monophenols were also separated successfully. Another useful liquid phase for both low and high temperatures was found in a meta-linked polyphenyl ether. Squalene was found to be an efficient liquid phase for the separation of terpene hydrocarbons at 130 °C and lower. The possible application of the present findings for preparative work is discussed.