Phenyl- and cyclopentylimino derivatization for double bond location in unsaturated C(37)-C(40) alkenones by GC-MS.

A method for the identification of double bond locations in polyunsaturated long chain alkenones adapted to nanogram amounts as currently analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed. The method is based on interpretation of the electron impact mass spectra of the imino derivatives of the carbonyl groups using either cyclopentyl or phenyl substitutents. Other complementary derivatization methods such as elaidization and hydrogenation have also been used for structural characterization of these compounds. This application has led to the identification of a novel homologous series of di-, tri-, and tetraunsaturated ketones with carbon number chain lengths between 37 and 40 in coastal hypersaline sediments. The novel series identified shows a distribution in which the double bond position between different homologs is established by reference to the distance from the carbonyl group whereas the previously known alkenones were constituted by unsaturated homologs with double bonds located at defined distances of the terminal methyl. This difference points out to a dissimilar, but still unknown, biogenic precursor of these novel alkenones.