N. Cordeiro et al., CORK SUBERIN AS A NEW SOURCE OF CHEMICALS - 1 - ISOLATION AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ITS COMPOSITION, International journal of biological macromolecules, 22(2), 1998, pp. 71-80
Extractive-free cork from Quercus suber L. was submitted to a solvolys
is treatment with methanolic NaOH which yielded 37% (o.d. cork) of sub
erin. This mixture of compounds was thoroughly characterized by FTIR,
H-1- and C-13-NMR, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric
(GC-MS) analysis, vapour pressure osmometry (VPO), mass spectrography
(MS) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). After derivatization, th
e main components of the volatile fraction, representing less than hal
f of the total, were found to be omega-hydroxymonocarboxylates, alpha,
omega-dicarboxylates, simple alkanoates and 1-alkanols, all with chain
lengths ranging from C16 to C24. A second fraction, with an average m
olecular weight about three times higher, was detected by VPO, MS and
GPC. The presence of this important fraction in cork suberin had not b
een recognized in earlier studies. Both fractions constitute interesti
ng precursors for the elaboration of new materials. (C) 1998 Elsevier
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