Abstract
Infrared spectra of pollen grains of Picea from two peat beds of Pleistocene were obtained by Akiyama et al. (1992). We have applied their technique to the individual fossil pollen grains separated from the ordinary sedimentary rocks. To measure infrared spectra by a micro-transmission-reflection method, we made a sample foundation of a sheet of aluminum foil and clay put on a slide glass, and found individual fossil pollen grains in organic matter spread on the sample foundation under a stereoscopic microscope. We can obtain an infrared spectrum for an individual fossil pollen grain, using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with an infrared microscope (micro-FTIR). Intensities of functional groups of OH, aliphatic CH2, C=O, and aromatic C=C on an infrared spectrum for an individual fossil pollen grain may reflect organic maturation of the sedimentary rock including the fossil pollen.
