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Molecular Transformation of Plant Biopolymers in High P-T Conditions

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Biopolymers

Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 38))

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Abstract

Experimental heating of plant tissues (350 °C, 700 bars) generated a resistant non-hydrolysable aliphatic macromolecule similar to that comprising organic matter in ancient sediments and fossil leaves. Comparison of the products derived from such heating of different pre-treated plant tissues clearly demonstrates that solvent-extractable and hydrolysable lipids are precursors of the generated macromolecular material. Thus, these experiments indicate that labile alkyl compounds can be a source of the insoluble aliphatic component of fossil organic matter in the absence of a resistant aliphatic precursor (e.g. cutan) in the living organism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Science and Technology Laboratory for Terrestrial Environments, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI, USA

    Neal S. Gupta

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  1. Neal S. Gupta
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Gupta, N.S. (2014). Molecular Transformation of Plant Biopolymers in High P-T Conditions. In: Biopolymers. Topics in Geobiology, vol 38. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7936-5_5

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