GC MS INVESTIGATION ON THE DICHLOROMETHANE EXTRACT FROM A SUBFOSSIL LARCH/

A subfossil larch, 14500 years old, collected in a clay quarry of Revi ne (Venetian Prealps, Italy), was examined with respect to its dichlor omethane extractives which were compared with those of a living ]arch. Results have shown that most of terpenes were markedly changed and si milarities with several samples of 1-3 million years Taxodioxylon gyps aceum were evident. The particularly moist environment has modified mo st of original wood extractives: monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were nearly all lost, diterpenes were transformed into stable diterpene-rel ated hydrocarbons such as sandaracopimarane, abietane, alpha-phyllocla dane and simonellite, whilst waxes were subjected to hydrolysis. Resul ts seem to demonstrate that degradation of extractives during aging of wood takes place in the early stages of this process.