Gammacerane is a pentacyclic
triterpene
Triterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of six isoprene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of three terpene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the pre ...
compound with the formula
C30H52 and five six-membered rings. Its derivatives include
tetrahymanol
Tetrahymanol is a gammacerane-type membrane lipid first found in the marine ciliate '' Tetrahymena pyriformis''. It was later found in other ciliates, fungi, ferns, and bacteria. After being deposited in sediments that compress into sedimentar ...
（gammaceran-3β-ol）and so on. After millions of years of
diagenesis
Diagenesis () is the process of physical and chemical changes in sediments first caused by water-rock interactions, microbial activity, and compaction after their deposition. Increased pressure and temperature only start to play a role as sedi ...
, these derivatives became gammacerane can be used as
biomarker
In biomedical contexts, a biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated using blood, urine, or soft tissues to examine normal biological processes, ...
s in
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
to study the origin of petroleum.
See also
*
Hopane
Hopane is a natural chemical compound classified as a triterpene. It forms the central core of a variety of other chemical compounds which are collectively known as hopanoids. The first compound of the hopane family to be isolated and characte ...
*
Lupane
*
References
Triterpenes
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