Migration of Organic Molecules from Sediment to Fossils - Biopolymers: A Molecular Paleontology Approach - page 83

Table 4.1 Distribution of pyrolysis and thermochemolysis products between fossil and sediment

Pyrolysis Thermochemolysis

Sample Alkane/alk-1-ene Alkanes a Alk-1-enes a FAMES FAME a

Fossil conifer 9-33 13,14,29,15 15,14,13,12 6-30 16,18,14,15

Matrix/ Fossil conifer 9-31 23,21,22,18 13,15,14,11 6-28 22,21,16,20

Fossil weevil 9-33 13,15,21,19 15,13,16,14 6-26 16,14,18,8

Matrix/Fossil Weevil 9-30 15,21,23,16 16,21,22,17 6-28 24,26,22,23

a Most abundant peaks in descending order

Fossil conifer

16

FAME

Alkane
Alk-1-en e

18

Short chain acids, aromatics and lignin moeities

14

20

22

30

16

18

m/z 74+87

14

12

6

8 22

24

10 20

28

26

30

Retention time

Fig. 4.5 Partial TMAH/Py-GC-MS total ion current chromatogram of fossil conifer showing gen-
erated fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), lignin moieties and aromatics. The m/z 74 + 87 mass chro-
matogram shows the distribution of fatty acid methyl esters, FAME (d), from C6 to C30. C16 is the
most abundant followed by C18 and C14. The inset shows that n-alkane/n-alk-1-ene homologues
are subordinate in abundance relative to the FAME