Incorporation of oxygen-18 into secondary alcohols of grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes.

Incorporation of 18-O2 and H2-18-O into the secondary alcohol moiety of wax esters in the grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes was determined by mass spectrometry. Results of this study show that oxygen-18 from 18-O2 was incorporated into the secondary alcohol, whereas no incorporation of oxygen-18 from H2-18-O was detected. The data suggest that the reaction, which hydroxylates n-alkanes at or near the center of the carbon chain, involves a mixed function oxidase type enzyme.