Experimental evidence for the formation of geomacromolecules from plant leaf lipids

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