Acids and their functionally substituted esters fromAmaranthus cruentus seed oil

The acid composition of seed oil ofAmaranthus cruentus and the synthesis of their glycidyl and pyridinecontaining esters are studied. It is demonstrated that 67% of the total acids are C₁₈-polyunsaturated linoleic and linolenic. A new method for preparing glycidyl esters of C₁₈-unsaturated carboxylic acids is developed by reacting their salts with ECG in an aprotic medium to produce the corresponding glycidyl esters. The reaction of the glycidyl esters and pyridine salts with carboxylic and phosphonic acids produces the propanolpyridine esters of the acids that combine the properties of the acids and pyridinium salts and are promising in the search for biologically active compounds.A. E. Arbuzov Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry, Kazan' Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 217–219, May–June, 2000.