Gas chromatography?

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Why is it necessary to convert a fatty acid to its methyl ester before it can be analyzed by gas chromatography?

2007-03-13 13:15:55 · 2 answers · asked by chiao_yin2000 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry

2 answers

The fatty acid would chemically react with the stationary phase and would not move through the chromatograph. If you esterify it, the acid end is rendered non-reactive to the stationary phase and it will then move through based largely on its mass. The ester is much less polar than the acid.

2007-03-13 13:24:36 · answer #1 · answered by docrider28 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

Fats have high boiling points and aren't volatile enough to do an analysis by gas chromatography. The methyl esters of the fatty acids are volatile enough to be analyzed by gas chromatography.

2007-03-13 20:23:02 · answer #2 · answered by ihatedecaf 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋