Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Tall Oil Fractionation Products after Methylation with N,N-Dimethylformamide Dimethylacetal

Abstract

Tall oil fractionation products such as tall oil fatty acids, distilled tall oil, and tall oil rosin are routinely analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) after derivatization with diazomethane or esterification with methanol using boron trifluoride as a catalyst. An alternative derivatizing reagent, N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal, has been investigated for the preparation of methyl esters of fatty acids and resin acids in tall oil fractionation products prior to GC analysis. This reagent provides a safe, rapid, and reproducible means of derivatization that eliminates the need to isolate the methyl esters from the derivatization reaction mixture.