SEPARATION OF UNSATURATED FATTY-ACID METHYL-ESTERS BY PACKED CAPILLARY SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY - COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT COLUMN PACKINGS

Packed capillary supercritical fluid chromatography with ultraviolet detection was applied to the separation of methyl esters of unsaturated fatty acids obtained from a fish oil. Separation was attempted on three different types of column packing: cation exchanger impregnated with silver nitrate, silica and anion exchanger treated with potassium permanganate. Separation on the argentation column resulted in relatively good resolution of geometric isomers of dienes and trienes. Further, this column performed well in the separation of fatty acid methyl esters from a fish oil. Separatiaon of the same sample on a column packed with silica was somewhat less complete. Finally, a permanganate-treated anion exchanger separated the fatty acid methyl esters into groups according to the degree of unsaturation.