title: Evidence for demethylation of syringyl moieties in archaeological wood using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
abstract: Archaeological oak (Quercus sp.) wood samples, ranging from 16(th) C. AD to 6000 BP, were studied using flash pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to obtain insight into angiosperm lignin degradation. The pyrolysates revealed evidence of a number of 3-methoxy-1,2-benzenediol derivatives, methoxycatechols, directly related to 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, syringyl, moieties which are characteristic building blocks of angiosperm lignin. Mass spectra and mass chromatograms of these compounds are reported. The finding of these characteristic pyrolysis products in well-preserved archaeological wood provides unequivocal evidence that demethylation of syringyl units occurs very early in wood degradation. It is highly likely that the absence of abundant 3-methoxy-1, 2-benzenediols in degrading plant materials containing angiosperm lignin relates to the lability of these newly formed moieties.
authors.affiliation: Organic Geochemistry Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80021, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: van Bergen
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ogilvie
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caple
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Evershed
mesh_terms: D001106:Archaeology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry*; D008745:Methylation; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D008031:Lignin