The similarity of chemical structures of soluble aliphatic polyaldehyde and insoluble algaenan in the green microalga Botryococcus braunii race A as revealed by analytical pyrolysis

Abstract

Curie point pyrolysis-gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric studies of a recently isolated CHCl3-soluble aliphatic polyaldehyde, and of an insoluble biopolymer termed Bb(A) algaenan, of the green microalga Botryococcus braunii (race A) were performed to determine the structural relationships between these two polymers. Comparisons of specific mass chromatograms, and of the composition of three clusters of pyrolysis products, with different chain lengths of pyrolysates of both materials clearly show major similarities in their chemical structures. According to these results, the molecular structure of Bb(A) algaenan is probably a more condessed and/ora reticulated form of the soluble aliphatic polyaldehyde. Furthermore, the results confirm that kerogens derived from these algae consist of mixtures of algaenan and polyaldehydes which have become insoluble due to oxygen cross-linking.