Detailed chemical, degradative and spectroscopic studies have led to the isolation and characterization of 2hydroxyethyl glucosinolate from the seed of Capparis masaikai This is the first report of this glucosinolate, which is the simplest member of the group of glucosinolates which spontaneously cyclize upon treatment with thioglucoside glucohydrolase (EC 3 2 3 1) [myrosinase], thereby yielding oxazolidine-2-thione; The distribution pattern of n-alkanes in the 'refined hydrocarbon' fractions from four species of Compositae (Lactuca serriola, Sonchus asper, Taraxacum officinale, Tessaria absinthioides) and six species of Euphorbiaceae (Adenopeltis serrata, Euphorbia copiapina, E lactiflua, Colliguaja dombeyana, C. odorifera, C salicifolia) was studied Using well-established techniques, n-alkanes of the homologous series C₁₉-C33 were identified The major constituents were n-heptacosane (n-C27) and n-nonacosane (n-C29) Significant dominance of odd over even numbered chains and the absence of any significant quantity of branched alkanes was also found The two species of Euphorbia showed different distribution pattern of n-alkanes. In two species of Colliquaja (C salicifolia and C odorifera), the major component was n-C27 with smaller amounts of n-C29, but in C dombeyana the reverse occurred