Phytane is a diterpenoid alkane

Alkane

Alkanes are chemical compounds that consist only of hydrogen and carbon atoms and are bonded exclusively by single bonds without any cycles...

. In contrast to pristane

Pristane

Pristane is a natural saturated terpenoid alkane obtained primarily from shark liver oil, from which its name is derived . It is also found in mineral oil and some foods...

, which is formed from the decarboxylation

Decarboxylation

Decarboxylation is a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide . Usually, decarboxylation refers to a reaction of carboxylic acids, removing a carbon atom from a carbon chain. The reverse process, which is the first chemical step in photosynthesis, is called carbonation, the addition of CO2 to...

 of phytol

Phytol

Phytol is an acyclic diterpene alcohol that can be used as a precursor for the manufacture of synthetic forms of vitamin E and vitamin K1. In ruminants, the gut fermentation of ingested plant materials liberates phytol, a constituent of chlorophyll, which is then converted to phytanic acid and...

, it has one extra carbon.

Phytanyl is the corresponding substituent

Substituent

In organic chemistry and biochemistry, a substituent is an atom or group of atoms substituted in place of a hydrogen atom on the parent chain of a hydrocarbon...

. Phytanyl groups are frequently found in phospholipid

Phospholipid

Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes as they can form lipid bilayers. Most phospholipids contain a diglyceride, a phosphate group, and a simple organic molecule such as choline; one exception to this rule is sphingomyelin, which is derived from...

s in membrane

Cell membrane

The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...

s of thermophilic Archaea

Archaea

The Archaea are a group of single-celled microorganisms. A single individual or species from this domain is called an archaeon...

. These include caldarchaeol

Caldarchaeol

Caldarchaeol is a membrane-spanning lipid found in hyperthermophilic archaea. Membranes made up of caldarchaeol are more stable since the hydrophobic chains are linked together, allowing the microorganisms to withstand high temperatures. It is also known as dibiphytanyldiglycerol tetraether...

, a compound which contains two fused phytanyl chains.

It is used as a bio-marker in petroleum studies.

Unsaturated phytanes

Phytene is the singly unsaturated version

Unsaturated compound

In organic chemistry, a saturated compound is a chemical compound that has of a chain of carbon atoms linked together by single bonds and has hydrogen atoms filling all of the other bonding orbitals of the carbon atoms. Alkanes are an example of saturated compounds...

 of phytane. Phytene is also found as the functional group phytyl in many organic molecules of biological importance such as chlorophyll

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...

, tocopherol

Tocopherol

Tocopherols are a class of chemical compounds of which many have vitamin E activity. It is a series of organic compounds consisting of various methylated phenols...

 (Vitamin E) and phylloquinone

Phylloquinone

Phylloquinone is a polycyclic aromatic ketone, based on 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, with a 3-phytyl substituent.It is a fat-soluble vitamin that is stable to air and moisture but decomposes in sunlight. It is found naturally in a wide variety of green plants.-Terminology:It is often called...

 (Vitamin K₁). Phytene's corresponding alcohol is phytol.

Geranylgeranene is the fully unsaturated form of phytane. The corresponding substituent

Substituent

In organic chemistry and biochemistry, a substituent is an atom or group of atoms substituted in place of a hydrogen atom on the parent chain of a hydrocarbon...

 is geranylgeranyl.