Hydrocarbons and Ethers of Extractive Substances of Siberian Larch Needles

Abstract

Siberian larch (Larix sibirica L.) is the main commercial species in Russia. Currently, larch woody greens are underutilized. They are considered a waste product from logging. This is due to the lack of knowledge on the composition of compounds and the variability of the raw material source itself as a result of the fall of the needles. The research purpose is to study the composition of hydrocarbons and esters from Siberian larch needles in summer and autumn collection from the Tomsk region. The shredded needles were extracted with propan-2-ol; then, after distillation of the solvent, substances soluble in petroleum ether (PE, 40–70 °С) were isolated. The latter were divided into free acids (31.5 % for green needles and 28.0 % for yellow needles) and neutral substances (59.8 and 48.1 %, respectively). Then, eutral substances were chromatographed on silica gel: hydrocarbons (2.43 and 3.02 %, hereinafter from neutral substances of green and yellow needles, respectively), esters (31.30 and 33.80 %) and triglycerides (11.70 % and 6.44 %). The ester and triglyceride fractions were exposed to alkaline hydrolysis and the acidic components of esters (9.12 and 24.80 %) and triacylglycerols (17.43 and 26.15 %) were produced. Fractions of unsaponifiable compounds, in addition to alcohols, contained unsaponifiables with unchanged Rf values on thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Fractions of unsaponifiables were chromatographed on silica gel, and then the isolated fractions were additionally chromatographed on silica gel with silver nitrate. The isolated compounds were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In the acidic component of esters, the main components are linoleic and linolenic acids. Hydrocarbons are represented by sesquiterpenes in both collections of needles. A new aromatic hydrocarbon for coniferous plants, geranyl-p-cymene, has been identified. For the first time, polyprenols were isolated from Siberian larch greens, the structure of which differs from spruce and pine polyprenols by chain length according to NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry data. They contain from 14 to 20 isoprene links in the chain of molecules with predominance of prenol-17. The yield of polyprenols was 12.8–14.9 % of neutral substances of yellow and green needles, respectively. Tetracyclic triterpene alcohols and sterols were isolated from green needles. Triterpene alcohols were not found in yellow needles. For citation: Mikson D.S., Roshchin V.I. Hydrocarbons and Ethers of Extractive Substances of Siberian Larch Needles. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2021, no. 3, pp. 170–185. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2021-3-170-185