Retene in pyrolysates of algal and bacterial organic matter

Retene, dehydroabietin, and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroretene have been identified by GC–MS in extractable aromatic hydrocarbon fractions produced by pyrolysis at 200 and 300°C of pure strains of the green alga Chlorella protothecoides and the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. The results suggest phytoplankton as a possible source of retene in Recent and ancient sediments.