Research on the geochemistries of the major biochemicals will continue by: a). Isolating different particle classes from sediment mixtures and then determining the major biochemical components, their microenvironments, and potential reactivities toward chemical and biological agents. b). Studying the distribution and bonding of ester-bound phenolic acids in a taxonomic cross section of nonwoody vascular plant tissues and relating this information to the diverse compositions and diagenetic patterns typical of these biochemically complex materials. c). Investigating the growing evidence for a major polysaccharide component of vascular plant tissues that is not accounted for by conventional molecular- level analyses.
