Rapid and direct characterization of total fatty acids in wood by thermochemolysis-gas chromatography-flame ionization detector/mass spectrometry with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide

Abstract Conventional methods used to analyze total fatty acids in wood generally require tedious and time-consuming pretreatments such as solvent extraction and hydrolysis of esterified fatty acids of fats. In this study, both total fatty acid composition and the yield from free and esterified fatty acids of fats in Acacia species were investigated using a rapid and direct method of thermochemolysis–gas chromatography (GC)–flame ionization detector (FID)/mass spectrometry (MS) with organic alkalis. Using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) at 300 °C, thermochemolysis–GC–FID/MS gave total fatty acids including the fat origin as pyrolyzates with suppressed lignin fragment formation because of the basicity of TBAH compared to other organic alkalis: tetramethylammonium hydroxide and tetramethylammonium acetate. The obtained results of fatty acid composition were consistent with those obtained using conventional methods consisting of a series of procedures such as solvent extraction, hydrolysis, derivatization, and analysis by GC–FID/MS in fatty acid composition analysis. Furthermore, thermochemolysis–GC–FID gave a higher yield of total fatty acid than the conventional method, quantitatively reflecting the difficulty in solvent extraction of these components. Consequently, thermochemolysis–GC with TBAH promises to be a rapid and direct method to characterize total fatty acids in wood, avoiding artifacts by solvent extraction of wood. Furthermore, this method discriminated Acacia auriculiformis from Acacia mangium based on the observed fatty acid contents and selected individuals containing low total fatty acids to minimize paper sliding on a printer drum.

[1]  J. C. Río,et al.  Pyrolytic alkylation-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of model polymers Further insights into the mechanism and scope of the technique , 1996 .

[2]  John M. Challinor,et al.  Review: the development and applications of thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation reactions , 2001 .

[3]  T. Shioiri,et al.  New Methods and Reagents in Organic Synthesis. 14. A Simple Efficient Preparation of Methyl Esters with Trimethylsilyldiazomethane (TMSCHN2) and Its Application to Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Fatty Acids , 1981 .

[4]  R. Hashim,et al.  The composition of the extractives from unaffected and heartrot affected heartwood of Acacia mangium Willd , 2001, Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff.

[5]  Raimo Alén,et al.  Analytical Methods in Wood Chemistry, Pulping, and Papermaking , 1999, Springer Series in Wood Science.

[6]  J. Challinor.  Characterisation of wood extractives by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of quaternary ammonium hydroxide extracts , 1996 .

[7]  J. Challinor.  A rapid simple pyrolysis derivatisation gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for profiling of fatty acids in trace quantities of lipids , 1996 .

[8]  J. Challinor.  The scope of pyrolysis methylation reactions , 1991 .

[9]  D. Evtuguin,et al.  Bulk and surface composition of ECF bleached hardwood kraft pulp fibres , 2004 .

[10]  B. Holmbom,et al.  Evaluation of methods for extraction and analysis of wood resin in birch kraft pulp , 2003 .

[11]  N. Nilvebrant,et al.  A rapid method to discriminate between free and esterified fatty acids by pyrolytic methylation using tetramethylammonium acetate or hydroxide , 1999 .

[12]  T. Sonoda,et al.  Direct analysis of phenolic extractives in wood by thermochemolysis-gas chromatography in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide , 2007 .

[13]  T. Sonoda,et al.  Rapid characterization of wood extractives in wood by thermal desorption-gas chromatography in the presence of tetramethylammonium acetate , 2003 .

[14]  V. C. Stamoudis,et al.  Prediction of gas chromatography flame ionization detector response factors from molecular structures , 1990 .

[15]  J. C. Río,et al.  Thermally assisted hydrolysis and alkylation of lignins in the presence of tetra-alkylammonium hydroxides , 1995 .

[16]  H. Ohtani,et al.  Discriminative analysis of zooplankton individuals by pyrolysis–gas chromatography combined with on-line methylation , 1996 .

[17]  B. Holmbom,et al.  Analysis by gas chromatography of the wood extractives in pulp and water samples from mechanical pulping of spruce , 1989 .