Abstract
Cultures of Chlorella vulgaris were grown autotrophically under fluorescent light and heterotrophically on glucose and inorganic salts. Hydrocarbons were extracted and analyzed by gas-liquid chromatog-raphy, molecular sieve separations, and silicic acid-AgNO3 chroma-tpgraphy. Chlorella vulgaris grown under both culture conditions contained a series of saturated n-paraffins ranging from 17 to 36 carbon atoms in length. This is in contrast to reports in the early literature which indicated that the hydrocarbon fraction of algae was composed of only 1 or 2 specific hydrocarbons. Only under heterotrophic conditions, however, did C. vulgaris produce 1-pentacosene and 1-hepta-cosene as the primary components of the hydrocarbon mixture. Other Chlorella species were examined, but only C. vulgaris produced significant quantities of these compounds.

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