Occurrence of phenylalkanes in some Australian crude oils and sediments

Evidence is presented to support the proposition that phenylalkanes in some Australian crude oils and sediments are of geochemical origin as opposed to resulting from contamination from byproducts of the petrochemical manufacture of surfactants. Evidence presented shows that: (1) an unexposed sedime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organic geochemistry 1996, Vol.24 (1), p.57-69
Main Authors: Ellis, Leroy, Langworthy, Tom A., Winans, Randall
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
02 PETROLEUM
ALGAE
alkylbenzenes
BACTERIA
bacterial lipids
CONTAMINATION
crude oil
linear alkylbenzenes
LIPIDS
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
ORIGIN
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM
phenylalkanes
PYROLYSIS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACTANTS
torbanite
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Summary:Evidence is presented to support the proposition that phenylalkanes in some Australian crude oils and sediments are of geochemical origin as opposed to resulting from contamination from byproducts of the petrochemical manufacture of surfactants. Evidence presented shows that: (1) an unexposed sediment core was found to contain phenylalkanes; (2) the molecular weight range of phenylalkanes in sediments and crude oils is usually wider than that found in surfactants, extending in some cases beyond C 35; (3) abundant phenylalkanes were generated by pyrolysis of extracted sediments, and (4) phenylalkanes were found in the neutral lipid extract of extant Thermoplasma bacteria. Also, the presence of phenylalkanes and possibly phenylalkenes in the pyrolyzates of torbanites suggests that these compounds may also be formed from fossil algae.
ISSN:0146-6380
1873-5290
DOI:10.1016/0146-6380(96)00006-X