Enrichment of eicosenoic and docosadienoic acids from Limnanthes oil

and summary The long chain (>C 18 ) monoene and diene acids of Limnanthes oil are useful in synthesizing diene and tetraene wax ester intermediates for prospective lubricant additives and PVC plasticizers. Low‐temperature crystallization of the L. alba acids (61% eicosenoic, 19% docosadienoic, and 20% others) in acetone (initial concentration=0.05 g/ml) at −50 C enriches eicosenoic acid (74%) in the precipitated fraction while concentrating docosadienoic (70%) in the supernatant fraction. This simple and efficient process is well suited for large‐scale laboratory separations.