Chemical analysis of flotsam ambergris

Steven J. Rowland*, Paul A. Sutton, C. Anthony Lewis, Timothy Knowles, Michael J. Wilde, Filipe Alves, Robert Clough

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The natural product ambergris is only found rarely on beaches, as jetsam. Even more scarce, or even absent, are accounts of flotsam ambergris. Here, we report the chemical analysis of a rare, large piece (>100kg) of flotsam found in the Atlantic in 2019. About 95% of subsamples from the outside of the coprolith was soluble in dichloromethane. Of this, FTIR spectroscopy, APCI-MS and GC-MS indicated the presence of ambrein. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the sample was post 1950s in age. The 13C/12C isotope ratio (−22.5 ‰) was typical of those reported to date for whale ‘body’ ambergris. Metals of ambergris have hardly been reported previously. The distribution found here for the flotsam, was dominated by copper and zinc, which is similar to that of several squid species. This is also consistent with the presence of squid beaks in the coprolith. Squid are a major prey species of sperm whales.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNatural Product Research
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Plant Science
  • Organic Chemistry

Keywords

  • Ambergris
  • ambrein
  • atlantic
  • copper
  • flotsam
  • Physeter macrocephalus
  • squid

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Chemical analysis of flotsam ambergris'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this