Oxidation of lipids: III. Oxidation of methyl linoleate in solution.

The effects of oxygen pressure, substrate concentration and solvent on the rate and products of oxidation of methyl linoleate were studied at 50 C with azobisisobutyronitrile as a radical initiator. The absolute and quantitative numbers for oxygen uptake, substrate disappearance, and formation of conjugated diene and hydroperoxides were measured. Under the present conditions, 4 conjugated diene hydroperoxides, 13-hydroperoxy-9-cis, 11-trans-(2a), 13-hydroperoxy-9-trans, 11-trans-(3a), 9-hydroperoxy-10-trans, 12-cis-(4a), and 9-hydroperoxy-10-trans, 12-trans-(5a) octadecadienoic acid methyl esters, were formed almost quantitatively. The rate of oxidation decreased with decreasing oxygen pressure. However, the ratio ofcis,trans totrans,trans hydroperoxides, (2a+4a)/(3a+5a), was independent of oxygen pressure, and this ratio increased with increasing methyl linoleate concentration, as found recently by Porter. Further, the rate of oxidation and the ratio ofcis,trans/trans,trans hydroperoxides were dependent on solvent and increased with an increase in dielectric constant of solvent. A mechanism of methyl linoleate oxidation consistent with these results is discussed.