- 626 Davy Building, Drake Circus
- +44 1752 584553
- P.A.Sutton@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Paul Sutton
Technical Specialist
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Role
Since graduating with a 1st Class B.Sc. Hons in Environmental Science from the University of Plymouth I completed a Ph.D. in 2000 entitled "The quantitative isolation of 'insoluble organic matter' (IOM) from sediments and bacteria and its attempted dissolution using the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride-aluminium (III) chloride" under the supervision of Professor Steve Rowland. I have completed two Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships. The first investigated the nutritional status of soils and grasses in the Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya, a collaboration between the University of Plymouth (John Maskall) and Imperial College, London (Professor Ian Thornton) on behalf of The People's Trust for Endangered Species. The second (NERC; 2000-2003), investigated the molecular characterisation of chromatographically 'unresolved complex mixtures, (UCMs) obtained from crude oils using preparative-gas chromatography, "Hydrocarbon 'humps' a forgotten petroleum fraction" under the supervision of Professor Rowland and Dr Anthony Lewis. Between 2000-2008 I was employed as a Scientific Officer in the School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences. In 2008 I was seconded to a two-year Joint Industry Project co-ordinated by Oil Plus Ltd., Newbury, U.K., on behalf of five oil companies: BG Group, BP, Chevron, Nalco and Total. The purpose of this project was to develop a method for the quantification of C80 tetraacids 'ARN' acids in crude oils. In 2011 my role changed to a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences. My current research interests include developing chromatographic separation techniques for organic geochemistry applications, especially isolation of high molecular weight organic compounds and the application of high temperature gas chromatography (HTGC) and HTGC coupled with mass spectrometry.
Qualifications
1st Class B.Sc. Hons Environmental Science (1995) University of Plymouth
Ph.D. Organic geochemistry (2000) University of Plymouth
Research groups
- Biogeochemistry Research Centre (BGC)
- Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2020
'Ambrein: a minor, but common constituent of mammalian faeces?'
Natural Product Research
1-6
, DOI
2019
'Biosynthesis of ambrein in ambergris: evidence from isotopic data and identification of possible intermediates'
Natural Product Research
1-7
, DOI
PEARL
2019
'Volatile and semi-volatile components of jetsam ambergris'
Natural Product Research
1-6
, DOI
PEARL
2019
'The duration and magnitude of Cretaceous cool events: Evidence from the northern high latitudes'
Geological Society of America Bulletin
, DOI
PEARL
2018
'Archaeal and bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids in environmental samples by high temperature-gas chromatography with flame ionisation and time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection'
Organic Geochemistry
121,
10-21
, DOI
PEARL
2018
'Further spectral and chromatographic studies of ambergris'
Natural Product Research
1-7
, DOI
PEARL
2017
'Intravenous injection of unfunctionalized carbon-based nanomaterials confirms the minimal toxicity observed in aqueous and dietary exposures in juvenile rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss )'
Environmental Pollution
, DOI
PEARL
2017
'Chromatographic and spectral studies of jetsam and archived ambergris'
Natural Product Research
, DOI
PEARL
2017
'Class Type Separation of the Polar and Apolar Components of Petroleum'
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
89,
(5)
2919-2927
, DOI
PEARL
2016
'Spectral and chromatographic characterisation of the onoceroid, ambrane: A potential novel biological marker'
Organic Geochemistry
102,
106-109
, DOI
PEARL
2016
'From ether to acid: a plausible degradation pathway of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers'
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
, DOI
PEARL
2015
'Coupling of marine and continental oxygen isotope records during the Eocene-Oligocene transition'
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
128,
(3-4)
502-510
, DOI
PEARL
2014
'Determination of the Content of C-80 Tetraacids in Petroleum'
ENERGY & FUELS
28,
(9)
5657-5669
, DOI
2014
'A Multi-Proxy Study of the PETM at the Zumaia Section, northern Spain'
Rendiconti online della Società Geologica Italiana
31,
147-148
, DOI
2014
'Reply to comment on “Magnitude and profile of organic carbon isotope records from the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum: Evidence from northern Spain” by Manners et al. [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 376 (2013) 220–230]'
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
395,
294-295
, DOI
2013
'Magnitude and profile of organic carbon isotope records from the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum: Evidence from northern Spain'
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
376,
220-230
, DOI
2013
'Association of Hg2+ with aqueous (C60)n aggregates facilitates increased bioavailability of Hg2+ in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)'
Environ Sci Technol
47,
9997-10004
, DOI
2013
'Magnitude and profile of organic carbon isotope records from the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum: Evidence from northern Spain'
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
376,
220-230
, DOI
2013
'Studies of long chain lipids in insects by high temperature gas chromatography and high temperature gas chromatography-mass spectrometry'
J Chromatogr A
1297,
236-240
, DOI
2012
'High temperature gas chromatography–time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (HTGC–ToF-MS) for high-boiling compounds'
Journal of Chromatography A
1243,
69-80
, DOI
2011
'Microbial biodegradation of aromatic alkanoic naphthenic acids is affected by the degree of alkyl side chain branching'
ISME JOURNAL
5,
(3)
486-496
, DOI
2010
'Mass spectrometry of polycyclic tetracarboxylic ('ARN') acids and tetramethyl esters'
Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom
24,
(21)
3195-3204
, DOI
2010
'Identification of a Novel Ester Obtained during Isolation of C80(“ARN”) Tetraprotic Acids from an Oilfield Pipeline Deposit'
Energy & Fuels
24,
(10)
5579-5585
, DOI
2007
'Analysis of 'ARN' naphthenic acids by high temperature gas chromatoagraphy and high performance liquid chromatography'
Journal of Separation Science
30,
(3)
375-380
2007
'Retention characteristics of aromatic hydrocarbons on silica and aminopropyl-modified monolithic columns in normal-phase HPLC'
Journal of Separation Science
30,
(17)
2900-2909
2007
'Unresolved complex mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons: Thousands of overlooked persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic contaminants in mussels'
Environmental Science & Technology
41,
(2)
457-464
2006
'Unresolved Complex Mixtures of Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Thousands of Overlooked Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Contaminants in Mussels'
Environmental Science & Technology
41,
(2)
457-464
, DOI
2005
'Isolation of individual hydrocarbons from the unresolved complex hydrocarbon mixture of a biodegraded crude oil using preparative capillary gas chromatography'
Organic Geochemistry
36,
(6)
963-970
2002
'Concentrations of major and trace elements in soil and grass at Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya'
Applied Geochemistry
17,
(8)
1003-1016
2002
'Concentrations of major and trace elements in soil and grass at Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya'
Applied Geochemistry
17,
(8)
1003-1016
2000
'Attempted dissolution of 'insoluble organic matter' from Methanococcus jannaschii and Rostherne Mere (UK) sediment with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/aluminium (III) chloride'
Ancient Biomolecules
2,
195-207
Conference Papers
2004
'Analytical and toxicological methods for identification of unresolved complex mixtures ('humps') of hydrocarbons in the environment'
A529-A529
Posters
0
'GCxGC-ToF-MS Identification of Compounds in the Toxic Hydrocarbon Unresolved Complex Mixture (UCM) of Crude Oils'
0
0
Other Publications
Sutton, P.A., Tuthorn, M. and Newton, J. (2019): Use of compound specific delta¹³C stable isotope analysis for intact triacylglycerides using high temperature gas chromatography up to 430°C. ChemRxiv. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.9933236.v1