Biomarker determinations in crude oils using a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer

✍ Scribed by R.P. Philp; J. Oung; C.A. Lewis

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 786 KB
• Volume: 446
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1873-3778
• DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9673(00)94412-1

✦ Synopsis

Biomarkers are structurally complex organic compounds present in crude oils and source rocks that have been used extensively for a variety of purposes in petroleum exploration. Major applications include providing information on the nature of source materials, maturity, depositional environment and extent of biodegradation, and making oil-oil and oil-source rock correlations.

The determination of biomarkers is generally accomplished using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ancillary techniques such as multiple-ion detection (selected-ion monitoring). Hybrid and triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometers, however, enable the use of alternative methods to determine the complex mixtures of isomers that occur within many classes of biomarkers.

In general, the methods involve monitoring specific parent/daughter ion relationships which are characteristic of a specific compound or compounds.

In this article examples of this approach will be given, using oils from various basins. In addition to demonstrating how these determinations are made, an example of how to obtain collision activated decomposition spectra of unknown compounds is described.