THE BEHAVIOR OF ESTERS IN THE PRESENCE OF TETRAMETHYLAMMONIUM SALTS AT ELEVATED-TEMPERATURES - FLASH PYROLYSIS OR FLASH CHEMOLYSIS

Flash-heating experiments with model compounds such as tomato cutin, o ctadecyl octadecanoate, hexadecanol, triacontanol and L-alpha-lecithin with and without tetraalkylammonium salts, in particular tetramethyla mmonium hydroxide (TMAH), show that we have to discriminate between py rolysis products sensu stricto and products resulting from bond breaki ng induced by chemical reagents at elevated temperatures. This discrim ination is required to improve the structural elucidation of the macro molecules to be analyzed.