STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL ISOMERIZATION OF VITAMIN D

Abstract

Two methods of alumina column chromatography, method I and II, for the identification of vitamin D2, 5,6-trans vitamin D2, isocalciferol, istoachystero2, tachysterol2,lumisterol2 and ergosterol were investigated, and the following results were obtained. Vitamin D2 from tachysterol2,5,6-trans vitamin D2 from isocalciferol, andisotachy-sterol2 from Iumisterol2 were not separated by the column chromatography according to method I. However,the separationof vitaminD2fromtachy-sterol2, and isotachysterol2 from Iumisterol2 were possible by the gas chromatography reported previously, so the identifications of these compounds were possible by the applicationof gas chromatography for the eluates obtained by the alumina column chromatography according to method I. This is a new identification method for the compounds except 5,6-trans vitamin D2 and isocalciferol. 5,6-trans Vitamin D2 and isocalciferol were separated from other compounds by the column chromatography according to method I, but the identifications between them were impossible by the method mentioned above. The separative identification of 5,6-trans vitamin D2 from isocalciferol was possible by the column chromatography according to method II. It was confirmed that these identification methods were applicable to the further investigations on the chemical isomerization of vitamin D2.