The fatty substance, with 1-eicosanol added as internal standard, is saponified with ethanolic potassium hydroxide and then the unsaponifiable matter extracted with ethyl ether. The alcoholic fraction is separated from the unsaponifiable matter by chromatography on a basic silica gel plate; the alcohols recovered from the silica gel are transformed into trimethylsilyl ethers and analysed by capillary gas chromatography.
