Formation of insoluble, non-hydrolyzable, sulfur-rich macromolecules via incorporation of inorganic sulfur species into algal carbohydrates

Abstract

The process of sulfur incorporation into organic matter was simulated in the laboratory by sulfurization of cell material of the prymnesiophyte alga Phaeocystis in sea water with inorganic polysulfides at 50°C. Flash pyrolysis of the residue, obtained after extraction and several hydrolysis steps, yielded mainly C1 C4 alkylbenzenes and C1 C4 alkylphenols and, in contrast to control and blank experiments, relatively high amounts of C0 C4 alkylthiophenes. The distribution of the thiophenes is very similar to that in pyrolysates of type II-S kerogens. The formation of high-molecular-weight sulfur-rich macromolecules co-occurs with a marked drop in the content of hydrolyzable carbohydrates. This indicates that sulfurization results in the preservation of algal carbohydrate carbon in a macromolecular structure composed of (poly)sulfidic cross-linked carbohydrate skeletons, which upon pyrolysis yields alkylthiophenes. Sulfurization of glucose under similar conditions resulted in the formation of a nonhydrolyzable, solid material, which yielded high amounts of organic sulfur compounds upon pyrolysis, mainly short-chain alkylthiophenes, although with a different distribution than that in the pyrolysate of the sulfurized algal material. The carbon numbers of these organic sulfur compounds extend beyond six, indicating that the length of the carbon skeleton of the pyrolysis products is not limited by the length of the carbon skeleton of the substrate. These results suggest that the sulfurization of carbohydrates may be an important pathway in the preservation of organic matter in euxinic depositional environments