Palaeophytochemical components from the Miocene-fossil wood of Pinus griffithii.

Some Miocene-fossil wood of Pinus griffithii preserved as lignified wood in brown coal was found in an open coalmine in Xundian of Yunnan Province, China. To explore its chemical components, here we show the palaeophytochemical investigation of this Pliocene-fossil wood of P. armandii, resulting in the isolation of 11 compounds (1-11) including one new compound named 3,3-dimethoxy-24-ethyl-cholestan (1) by liquid column chromatography. Furthermore, sixteen volatiles were detected from this fossil wood by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These structures of 11 compounds were elucidated by analysis of their MS, 1D and 2D-NMR spectra, and comparison with published data.