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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Fatty Acid 13C Isotopologue Profiling Provides Insight into Trophic Carbon Transfer and Lipid Metabolism of Invertebrate Consumers
Published on: April 17, 2018
Hydropyrolysis as a preparative method for the compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of fatty acids
Mark A Sephton1, Will Meredith, Cheng-Gong Sun
1Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research (CEPSAR), Earth Sciences, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK. m.a.sephton@imperial.ac.uk
Abstract:
Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry is an effective and risk-free means of investigating fatty acid metabolism. Straightforward analysis, however, leads to poor chromatographic resolution, while derivatization adds carbon thereby corrupting the starting stable isotopic composition. Hydropyrolysis is a new approach which defunctionalizes fatty acids to yield the corresponding n-alkanes thus retaining the carbon skeleton intact and improving chromatography, allowing the faithful measurement of carbon isotope ratios.
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