Two series of black-coloured macromolecular products were prepared by: (a) acid-catalyzed dehydration of a glucose solution and (b) heating crystalline cellulose. These substances were analyzed by standard chemical and spectroscopic techniques, which revealed a more or less marked carbohydrate signature. The analytical pyrolysis showed striking differences between the two series of substances. The carbohydrate origin of the charred celluloses (even after 48 wt.% loss) was evident from the major peaks of anhydrosugars, while the alkylbenzenes and alkylphenols were found in comparatively low amounts. In contrast, the glucose browning substances showed pyrolysis patterns where aromatic molecules coexist with lower amounts of furan compounds. The results are interpreted in terms of the possible diagenetic pathways of sedimentary carbohydrate, and of the potential of pyrolysis to reveal the carbohydrate origin of geomacromolecules.

This research was supported by the Spanish CICYT under project No AMEW-0384.

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