The 2,3-sn-glycerol structure and ether bond linkage are two key differences between lipids found in archaea vs those of bacteria and eukarya.

[4][5] Compared to bacteria and eukarya, the isoprenoid side chains of archaeol are highly branched.

Many strictly anoxic bacteria and a few aerobic species contain plasmalogens (Pla), which has an alkyl chain bound to sn-1 position of the glycerol via a vinyl-ether bond.

[11] Archaeol in the sediments typically originates from the hydrolysis of archaea membrane phospholipids during diagenesis.

It was used as a biomarker by Richard D. Pancost et al. in order to reconstruct the Holocene biogeochemistry in ombrotrophic peatlands.

[15] A pilot study led by Ian D. Bull et al. also used archaeol as a biomarker to reveal the differences between fermenting digestive systems in foregut and hindgut of ancient herbivorous mammals.

[17] Archaeol can also get hydrolyzed in some cases, with its side chains preserved as phytane or pristane, depending on the redox conditions.

[18] To analyze archaeol, lipids are commonly extracted via the traditional Bligh-Dyer procedure,[19] usually followed by fractionation (by thin layer or column chromatography) and derivatization.

Kazuhiro Demizu et al.[20] and Sadami Ohtsubo et al.[21] proposed similar processes involving acid Bligh and Dyer extraction, acid treatment and derivatization, with the core lipids finally being subjected to chromatography.