Identification of bicadinanes in Jurassic organic matter from the Eromanga Basin, Australia

Cis-cis-trans and trans-trans-trans-bicadinanes were identified in a Jurassic crude oil and two Jurassic rocks from the Eromanga Basin, Australia, after the branched and cyclic alkane fractions had been enriched in bicadinanes using ultrastable Y molecular sieves. These biomarkers have previously been reported only from angiosperms and their occurrence in Jurassic samples may indicate the early evolution of flowering plants in this basin.