Abstract
A series of alkyl amides was detected and identified in the sedimentary record from an archaeological site at Yuchisi, Mengcheng, Anhui, China. The alkyl amides profiles change abruptly at the depth corresponding to the transition between two prehistoric cultures, which also corresponds to an abrupt change in the fatty acid ratio C18:2/C18:0. The different patterns of variation of the longer and shorter chain alkyl amides at the depth of the cultural transition may reflect differences in their response to external environmental changes, as well as different sources. This is the first study of the stratigraphic variation of alkyl amides in sediments, and their first application to assess paleoenvironmental changes. We suggest that alkyl amides may have potential as new biomarkers in archeological and paleoenvironmental studies.
Highlights
A series of nitrogen-containing organic compounds, alkyl amides, were detected in environmental samples and were proposed as potential environmental indicators
Previous studies demonstrated that environmental and climate changes may have contributed to the transition from the Dawenkou Culture to the Longshan Culture[15,16,17]
Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we report on the detection and identification of alkyl amides as trimethylsilyl (TMS)-derivatives and present the results as depth profiles
Summary
A series of nitrogen-containing organic compounds, alkyl amides, were detected in environmental samples and were proposed as potential environmental indicators. Considering the stabilities of alkyl amides and their occurrence in aerosols and sediments, we proposed that they could have potential as indicators of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in sedimentary deposits. We test this hypothesis at Yuchisi, a well-studied Neolithic archaeological site in central China. Yuchisi is an excellent site for testing the possible use of alkyl amides as indicators of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. We discuss the occurrence of discrepancies between the profiles of the short and long chain amides, their possible sources, and the potential of alkyl amides as markers for archeological and paleoenvironmental studies
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