Chromatographic
analyses arc used to great advantage in cluantitatively determining lower boiling components of petroleum for which reasonably good rcsolution is yossil~lc. For petroleum fractions of broader range many devices have been used to allow a quantitative analysis. Examples are the use of subtractive techniques, pm-fractionation and detection of back-flushed fractions, etc. Qualitative characterization of these broad-range fractions has been accomplished by chromatographically simulating the true boiling point curve and by other similar approaches.
The SUCCESS of all of these techniques poses the question whether there is enough information in simple, single chromatograms of broad-range petroleum fractions to characterize the fractions both qualitatively and quantitatively. No work designed specifically to explore this question seems to have been reported. In this paper we have taken the simplest case, the quantitative resolution of a binary petroleum blend into its constituent fractions, and shown the practicality of such an approach,
The simple case is explored first not only because it represents a fundamental starting point but also because many common analyses fit these conditions and the solution may be applied with a minimum of calibration and calculation and can serve as a useful field method. The more complex analyses would require machine calculation.