15-Methyl-1,2-hexadecanediol, a major constituent of hamster surface wax.

Long chain 1,2-alkanediol diesters comprise about 15-20% of the acetone soluble skin surface wax of golden Syrian hamsters. The constituent 1,2-alkanediols, obtained through acidic methanolysis, were fractionated by preparative gas liquid chromatography of their isopropylidene derivatives. The major component (57%) was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry as 15-methyl-1,2-hexadecanediol.