角質

角質，是蜡聚合物中的一種，是植物表皮兩種主要成分中的一種，覆蓋了植物與空氣接觸的表面。另一種聚合物是膠膜，較容易被保存在化石紀錄中^[1]。角質主要由ω-羥基酸及其衍生物組成，其中單體之間是透過酯鍵連結，形成大小不一的聚酯聚合物。角質有兩種主要的單體家族：C16和C18家族。C16家族主要包含16-羥基棕櫚酸、9,16-或10,16-二羥基棕櫚酸。C18家族主要包含18-羥基油酸、9,10-環氧-18-羥基硬脂酸和9,10,18-三羥基硬脂酸。^[2]

參考文獻

^ Briggs, D.E.G. (1999), "Molecular taphonomy of animal and plant cuticles: selective preservation and diagenesis", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 354 (1379): 7–17, doi:10.1098/rstb.1999.0356
^ Holloway, PJ (1982). "The chemical constitution of plant cutins". In Cutler, DF, Alvin, KL and Price, CE (1982) The Plant Cuticle. Academic Press London, pp 45–85.

[1] Briggs, D.E.G. (1999), "Molecular taphonomy of animal and plant cuticles: selective preservation and diagenesis", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 354 (1379): 7–17, doi:10.1098/rstb.1999.0356

[2] Holloway, PJ (1982). "The chemical constitution of plant cutins". In Cutler, DF, Alvin, KL and Price, CE (1982) The Plant Cuticle. Academic Press London, pp 45–85.

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