The Odorous Compounds in the Blue-green Algae, Oscillatoria sp. and the River Water. Identification of 2-Methylisoborneol, Geosmin, p-Cresol, Indole and 3-Methylindole

Abstract

Odorous Compounds in a Blue-green algae, Oscillatoria sp. and the sorrounding water collected at the Saka river, an upper stream of the Edo river were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The compounds were separated from the algae by steam distillation, and from the water by solvent extraction with dichloromethane and by subsequent column chromatography using Amberlite XAD-2. 2-Methylisoborneol, geosmin, p-cresol, indole and 3-methylindole were confirmed both in the algae body and the river water. Saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons (C₁₁-C₁₅, C₁₇) and heptadecene were also identified in the mass of the algae.