Phytane

Also known as 2,6,10,14-tetramethylhexadecane

Phytane is the isoprenoid alkane formed when phytol, a chemical substituent of chlorophyll, loses its hydroxyl group. When phytol loses one carbon atom, it yields pristane. Other sources of phytane and pristane have also been proposed than phytol.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, Phytane is referenced by 24 other articles, and connects out to sulfur, petroleum and photosynthesis.

It sits within the topics Alkanes, Chemical articles with multiple compound IDs and Chemical articles with multiple PubChem CIDs.

Its subject is documented across 15 Wikipedia language editions.

Chemical data

Formula: C20H42
Molecular weight: 282.5 g/mol
IUPAC name: 2,6,10,14-tetramethylhexadecane
SMILES: CCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)C
InChIKey: GGYKPYDKXLHNTI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: 9.9
Polar surface area: 0 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 0
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Wikidata facts

Has part: carbon
Mass: 282.329

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Phytane
canonical SMILES: CCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)C
chemical formula: C₂₀H₄₂
boiling point: 442.65
found in taxon: Persicaria hydropiperoides

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

13 sections

Contents

Chemistry
Sources
Preservation
Geochemical parameters
Pristane/Phytane ratio
Pristane/nC<sub>17</sub> and phytane/nC<sub>18</sub> ratios
Biodegradation scale
Compound specific isotope analyses
Carbon isotopes
Hydrogen isotopes
Case study: limitation of Pr/Ph as a redox indicator
See also
References

Pristane and phytane are common constituents in petroleum and have been used as proxies for depositional redox conditions, as well as for correlating oil and its source rock (i.e. elucidating where oil formed). In environmental studies, pristane and phytane are target compounds for investigating oil spills.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Phytane” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.