The application of various chromatographic technique to the mixed esters prepared from shellac has led to the discovery of ether-linked polymer fragments in shellac and the isolation and identification of a number of hitherto unrecognised aliphatic acids including saturated and unsaturated non-hydroxy acids, 6-keto-tetr'adecanoic acid, 6-hydroxytetradecanoic acid, 10-hydroxyhexadec-9-enoic acid, 16-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid, threo 9,10-dihydroxytetradecanoic acid. Appendix Lipolytic Studies of some Seed Oils containing Sterculic Acid. The sterculic acid containing seed oils, Eombacopsis glabra, Sterculia parviflora and Sterculia macrophylla, were examined and subjected to hydrolysis with pancreatic lipase.