Analysis of Plant Waxes

Complex mixtures of aliphatic compounds, collectively called waxes, are deposited in and on the cuticle and in the periderm in association with the polymer suberin. With the availability of modern chromatographic techniques, especially combined gas chromatography/mass-spectrometry, it has become possible to isolate and identify the components of such complex waxes. The majority of these 

Compound type General structure Chain length range Comments 

Hydrocarbons n-alkanes CH3(CH2) CH3 C21 to C35 Most common wax component. High proportion of even chain length in suberin-associated waxes 

Alkenes Terpenoid hydrocarbons RjCH = CHR2 Farnasene, pristine, and cyclic hydrocarbons, phyllocladene, isophyllocladene (+) kaurene, and isokaurene, etc. Cj to C33 In algae dienes and tri-enes also found. Branched alkenes might also be minor components 

Ketones Cf-Ketols R1COR2 RiCH(OH)COR2 C25 to C33 Not as common as alkanes Minor and rare component 

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