Comparative Study of the Volatile Compounds from Some Black Sea Brown Algae

Volatile compounds from seven species of brown algae, wide-spread in the Black Sea, were obtained by distillation-extraction and investigated by GC/MS. Different groups of compounds were identified: hydrocarbons, alkylated benzenes, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, terpenes, sulfur- and chlorine-containing compounds. On the basis of their qualitative and semi-quantitative composition some conclusions about the taxonomy and evolution of the species investigated are proposed. The functions of some of the volatile compounds are discussed.