Abstract
Two types of ether lipids isolated from the microalga
Botryococcus braunii have been subjected to flash pyrolysis. The pyrolysis products were separated and analyzed by GC/MS. The nature and distribution of the pyrolysis compounds gave clues to the different mechanisms involved in the pyrolysis of ether-linked alkyl chains. The relatively abundant presence of alkenes, alkadienes, alken-9-ones and alken-10-ones with chain lengths corresponding to those of the ether-bound alkyl chains indicated that the cleavage of the CO bond is an important first step in the pyrolysis process.