ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a methodological overview of the various methods of isolating and analysing phospholipids. Only soybean and egg phospholipids and their partially or completely hydrogenated derivatives have as yet acquired great industrial importance. The classes of phospholipids encompass the most important phospholipids of the ester phospholipids, ether phospholipids, sphingosine phospholipids, and phosphonophospholipids. The vegetable phospholipids, and here, in particular, the soybean phospholipids, are of the greatest economic importance. So some preparative methods for the isolation of soybean phospholipids have been included in the methodological section. Preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography is a very effective but technically complicated method of isolating phospholipids. The chromatographic procedures are perfectly suitable for the isolation of small quantities of high purity pohospholipids or classes of phospholipids on a laboratory scale. Soybean, sunflower, rape, and egg phosphatidylcholines are readily isolated in larger quantities by chromatography on aluminum oxide or silica gel using ethanol as eluent.
