THE CHEMISTRY OF PEAT PART: I. THE STEROLS OF PEAT MOSS (SPHAGNUM)

Abstract
Peat moss (Sphagnum) from the surface of an Atlantic peat bog has been extracted with a mixture of benzene and ethanol. The extract has been fractionated chromatographically on alumina. A mixture of sterols has been isolated from one fraction. This mixture has been proved by oxidation experiments to consist of β-sitostanol (stigmastanol) and β-sitosterol. It constituted approximately 0.2% by weight of the dried peat moss.