3β-Carboxysteranes, a novel family of fossil steroids
Abstract
Two 3β-carboxy-24-ethylcholestanes (24R and 24S) have been isolated as a mixture from a carbonated sediment and characterised by comparison of their mass spectrometric and 1H NMR spectroscopic data with those of synthetic standards; their origin is still unknown, since their carbon skeleton has not yet been reported in living organisms.