Capillary gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry of resin acids in tall oil rosin

Abstract The resin acid composition of Finnish tall oil rosin was investigated by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry employing open tubular capillary columns. On a column coated with 1,4‐butanediol succinate, 16 resin acids found in tall oil rosin samples were well resolved, and mass spectra could be recorded. All resin acids were confirmed to be of the pimaric and abietic types by gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Eight of the acids were not detected in the corresponding crude tall oils and evidently had been formed during the technical distillation process. The presence of 8,15‐pimaradien‐18‐oic and 8,15‐isopimaradien‐18‐oic acids in the rosin, but not in the crude tall oil, indicates that the pimaric type acids also undergo extensive isomerization during tall oil distillation. Additionally, three dihydroabietic acids and two acids with identical mass spectra, tentatively stereoisomers of 7,9(11)‐abietadien‐18‐oic acid, were formed during the distillation process.