Generation of Hydrocarbons Having Adamantine Structure from Bacterial Biomass

The chloroform-insoluble part of chemoorganoheterotrophic aerobic bacteria Arthrobacter sp. RV and Pseudomonas aeruginosa RM is subjected to thermolysis and catalytic thermolysis (aluminosilicate as catalyst). The thermolysis and catalytic thermolysis products are analyzed by chromatomass spectroscopy. It is noticed for the first time that the products of thermolysis of the insoluble part contain hydrocarbons with typical ions of adamantanes (m/z 135, 136, 149, 163) and diamantanes (m/z 187, 188, 201). It is shown by isomerization over aluminum bromide that these hydrocarbons are protoadamantanes and protodiamantanes, respectively. Unlike thermolysis, catalytic thermolysis of the insoluble part of the bacteria generates simultaneously protoadamantanes and adamantanes of the C 10 –C 13 composition and protodiamantanes and diamantanes of the C 14 –C 16 composition. It is suggested that one of the routes of formation of hydrocarbons having diamond-like (adamantine) structure in oils could be catalytic transformation of the bacterial biomass.