Rapid analysis of apolar low molecular weight constituents in wood using high pressure liquid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detection

A new high pressure liquid chromatographic method with evaporative light sc attering detection was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analy sis of apolar, low molecular weight constituents in wood. The wood extracti ves were obtained by means of a 6h Soxhlet extraction with acetone, The ext ract was quantitatively analysed on an end-capped C18 column eluted with a gradient of acetonitrile:water:acetic acid. The crude sample was directly i njected following dissolution in acetonitrile:methanol:dichloromethane (60: 8:40) and filtration through a 0.45 mu m membrane filter. No other time con suming fractionation or derivatisation steps were required prior to the ana lysis. The main apolar, low molecular weight constituents of pinewood are f ree fatty acids, resin acids, sterols and triglycerides, With this method, individual free fatty acids, sterols and triglycerides are well separated. Resin acids, with the exception of dehydroabietic acid, are not separated a nd co-elute, The method does not require any sample clean-up steps except f iltration and it is compatible with other softwood and hardwood wood specie s. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.