Gas chromatographic evaluation of wool wax alcohols supported by principal component analysis

Summary Capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization detection has been applied to the separation of the components of wool wax alcohols. Twenty-six commercial and non-commercial (laboratory) samples were investigated. Twenty-eight components found in the samples were used as variables for further characterization by a chemometric procedure. Principal component analysis was applied to the differentiation of samples from different sources and obtained by different technologies.