Methyl enol ethers as artefacts in capillary gas chromatographic profiles of aldehyde dimethyl acetals.

Methyl enol ethers are detected within the capillary gas chromatographic profiles of aldehyde dimethyl acetals derived from human red cell plasmalogens or from a synthetic aldehyde mixture. They arise from the dimethyl acetals via methanol elimination as artefacts of the injection technique. In a nutritional experiment, the probands showed a rising proportion of dimethyl acetals in the phospholipid fraction of their erythrocyte ghosts; this fact is seen as an effect of the lipid composition of the milk fat administered.