Incorporation of 13C-labelled coniferyl alcohol into developing Ginkgo biloba L. lignin revealed by analytical pyrolysis and CuO oxidation in combination with isotope ratio monitoring-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A suite of four samples of xylem tissue from Ginkgo (Ginigo biloba L.) shoots grown in a medium containing coniferin ¹³C-labeled at differing side-chain carbon atoms were studied using thermal and chemical degradation methods in combination with molecular-level isotopic analyses. The aims of the study were threefold: (1) to verify conclusions drawn from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments previously performed on the same tissue samples, (2) to investigate degradation mechanisms and (3) to quantify the proportion of labeled material in each sample.