Abstract
PHYTANIC acid and several lower isoprenoid acids are found in the marine food chain and in sediments. The mechanism of the degradation of phytol to phytanic acid is still uncertain. At least two pathways have been proposed and shown to occur in some cases1. One by way of dihydrophytol, another by phytenic aldehyde and phytenic acid. Phytenic acid was postulated recently2 as intermediate in the degradation of phytol in sediments and was mentioned among isoprenoid compounds in Mud Lake sediment3. It is formed from phytol thermo-catalytically in oxic conditions4.
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BOON, J., RIJPSTRA, W., DE LEEUW, J. et al. Phytenic acid in sediments. Nature 258, 414–416 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258414a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/258414a0
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