Pressurized liquid extraction of selected molecular biomarkers in deep sea sediments used as proxies in paleoceanography

Pressurized liquid extraction has been performed on a suite of deep-sea sediments to assess its capability as an extraction technique in the analysis of molecular biomarkers used in paleoceanography. Specific compounds assessed comprise long-chain alkenones, n-alkanes, n-alcohols and, additionally, one diol and one keto-ol. These have been extracted by both pressurized liquid extraction and ultrasonication for comparison. One key result is that the U₃₇^K′ index (based on the degree of unsaturation of the alkenones and used as a paleothermometer in paleoceanography) remains intact after both extraction techniques. In terms of biomarker concentrations, which are often used to qualitatively assess changes in marine productivity and/or terrigenous inputs, pressurized liquid extraction is substantially more efficient than ultrasonication, providing higher amounts of extracted constituents, particularly for polar compounds.