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Heterogeneous Reactions in Petroleum Genesis and Maturation

Abstract

ALTHOUGH it seems to be agreed that petroleum deposits are formed from biological organic constituents of sediments1–5, only a few of the molecular precursors of petroleum have been identified with any certainty6–8 and there has been very little progress in deciding between several possible mechanisms1,3,9–12 for the production of petroleum hydrocarbons. In particular, little attention has been directed to the study of decomposition reactions of organic species chemisorbed on mineral surfaces. Yet the fine clay particles in sediments adsorb strongly13 some of the compounds which occur in the decay of biological material, and it is known that the reaction of organic substances with mineral surfaces can contribute to rock weathering14. Moreover, the reactivity of organic compounds can be changed on adsorption by clay particles13 and this may result in preferential retention of certain classes of organic substances at mineral surfaces. Such chemisorbed radicals may account for much of the small amount of carbonaceous material in natural sediments15. The question is whether the degradation of such chemisorbed radicals may be a source, even a dominant source, of petroleum deposits.

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GALWEY, A. Heterogeneous Reactions in Petroleum Genesis and Maturation. Nature 223, 1257–1260 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/2231257a0

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