Squalane
422.81Tetracosane, 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyl-.
2,6,10,15,19,23-Hexamethyltetracosane
[111-01-3].» Squalane is a saturated hydrocarbon obtained by hydrogenation of squalene, an aliphatic triterpene occurring in some fish oils.
Packaging and storage—
Preserve in tight containers.
Identification, Infrared Absorption 
197F
, on undried specimen.
197F, on undried specimen.
Specific gravity 841:
between 0.807 and 0.810 at 20
.
841:
between 0.807 and 0.810 at 20.
Acid value 401:
not more than 0.2.
401:
not more than 0.2.
Iodine value 401:
not more than 4.
401:
not more than 4.
Saponification value 401:
not more than 2.
401:
not more than 2.
Refractive index 831:
between 1.4510 and 1.4525 at 20.
831:
between 1.4510 and 1.4525 at 20.
Residue on ignition 281:
not more than 0.5%.
281:
not more than 0.5%.
Chromatographic purity—
Inject about 2 µL of a 2 in 100 solution of Squalane in n-hexane into a suitable gas chromatograph, equipped with a flame-ionization detector. Under typical conditions the instrument contains a 3-mm × 1.8-m column packed with 3% phase G1 on packing S1A, the column is temperature-programmed at about 6 per minute from 130 to 270, the injection port and the detector block are maintained at 280, and nitrogen is used as the carrier gas at a flow rate of 25 mL per minute. Identify the squalane peak by comparison of the retention time with that of the main peak obtained by chromatographing a similar solution of USP Squalane RS under the same conditions: the area of the squalane peak is not less than 97% of the sum of the areas of all of the peaks in the chromatogram.
per minute from 130 to 270, the injection port and the detector block are maintained at 280, and nitrogen is used as the carrier gas at a flow rate of 25 mL per minute. Identify the squalane peak by comparison of the retention time with that of the main peak obtained by chromatographing a similar solution of USP Squalane RS under the same conditions: the area of the squalane peak is not less than 97% of the sum of the areas of all of the peaks in the chromatogram.
Auxiliary Information—
Please check for your question in the FAQs before contacting USP.
Chromatographic Column—
| Topic/Question | Contact | Expert Committee |
| Monograph | Robert H. Lafaver, B.A.
Scientist 1-301-816-8335 |
(EM105) Excipient Monographs 1 |
| Reference Standards | Lili Wang, Technical Services Scientist 1-301-816-8129 RSTech@usp.org |
USP32–NF27 Page 1354
Chromatographic columns text is not derived from, and not part of, USP 32 or NF 27.