HPLC-separation of cis and trans monounsaturated fatty acids

Summary The chromatography of monounsaturated fatty acids as their methyl esters on silver nitrate-loaded HPLC-columns has been studied. The separation of cis- and trans-isomers was easily achieved even with columns of low performance. High-performance small-particle-columns treated with silver nitrate separated a large variety of monounsaturated cis and trans positional isomers. The influence of variable silver-loads on the selectivity of the system was studied and a survey of the distribution of positional trans C₁₈₁ isomers in commercial margarines is given.