Hydrocarbons of Blue-Green Algae: Geochemical Significance

Abstract
The hydrocarbon compositions of 11 species of blue-green algae are simple and qualitatively similar. Three marine coccoids contain only monoenoic and dienoic C19 hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons of the remaining eight species are C15 to C18. Hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight (C20 or more) were not detected. Blue-green algae do not appear to be the source material for the longchain (greater than 20 carbons) hydrocarbons found in ancient sediments.