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Origin and significance of drimanes and related bicyclic alkanes in crude oils and ancient sediments

Conference · · American Chemical Society, Division of Petroleum Chemistry, Preprints; (USA)
OSTI ID:6894905
 [1];  [2]
  1. Arco Oil and Gas Co., Plano, TX (USA)
  2. Curtin Univ., Perth (Australia)
Drimanes and related bicyclic alkanes occur extensively in crude oils and ancient sediments, irrespective of geologic age and depositional environment. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of the bicyclic compounds in the subsurface by microbially mediated C-ring opening a {Delta}{sub 11(12)}-bacteriohopanetetrol during early diagenesis. These reactions afford functionalized C{sub 14}-C{sub 16} bicyclic moieties that can either undergo rearrangement or be incorporated into the kerogen assemblage, later to be released under the effects of thermal maturation. The relative abundances of drimanes, rearranged drimanes and hopanes in ancient sediments and crude oils are controlled by these diagenetic and catagenetic processes, which therefore provides a means to distinguish crude oils derived from different thermal regimes and source environments.
OSTI ID:
6894905
Report Number(s):
CONF-8904126--
Conference Information:
Journal Name: American Chemical Society, Division of Petroleum Chemistry, Preprints; (USA) Journal Volume: 34:1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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