Two novel Iso-branched octadecenoic acids from a Micrococcus species

The novel fatty acids 16-methyl-6(Z)-heptadecenoic acid and 16-methyl-8(Z)-heptadecenoic. acid were identified for the,first time in nature in a species of the bacterium Micrococcus isolated from Lake-Pomorie in Bulgaria. The principal fatty acids in this bacterium were a series of iso-anteiso fatty acids with chain lengths between C-14 and C-24, while the most interesting series of monounsaturated fatty acids was a family of Delta (6) fatty acids with chain lengths between C-14 and C-17. The novel compounds were characterized using a combination of GC-MS and chemical transformations, such as dimethyl disulfide derivatization and catalytic hydrogenation. The results established for the first time a bacterial origin for some of these Delta (6) fatty acids.