Saturated and aromatic diterpenoids and triterpenoids in Eocene coals and mudstones from China

Several series of saturated, diaromatic, triaromatic C-ring cleaved and triaromatic diterpenoids and triterpenoids have been detected in 4 immature coal and mudstone samples. A number of these compounds appear to represent intermediates in a series of postulated pathways for progressive aromatization of biogenic diterpenoids and triterpenoids. Diagenetic pathways for the formation of tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from abietane and pimarane type diterpenoid precursors and for the formation of diaromatic, triaromatic C-cleaved and triaromatic hydrocarbons from β-amyrin and other triterpenoid precursors are proposed. Saturated and aromatized abietanes, pimaranes and phyllocladanes, which are the most abundant compounds in all 4 samples, indicate a predominant higher plant input which can be related to the Coniferales group but not to individual plant families. β-Amyrin and other triterpenoid-derived triaromatic and triaromatic C-ring cleaved hydrocarbons with triterpenoid structures are thought to be characteristic for angiosperms. The relative concentrations of the triaromatic and triaromatic C-ring cleaved hydrocarbons are higher in samples 9602 (mudstone) and 9603 (coal) than samples 9601 (coal) and 9604 (mudstone) indicating samples 9602 (mudstone) and 9603 (coal) contain relatively more angiosperm derived organic matter than samples 9601 (coal) and 9604 (mudstone). The distribution patterns and the relative concentrations of saturated and aromatic diterpenoids and triterpenoids thus are valuable markers for the determination of the relative contents of biological sources of organic material in geological samples.