Chemical structural investigation of asphaltenes and kerogens by pyrolysis-methylation

Molecular characterization of kerogen and asphaltene fractions isolated from three oil shales taken from the Puertollano deposit has been carried out by pyrolysis-methylation. Long-chain n-alkanes, n-alk-l-enes, long-chain carboxylic acid methyl esters and aromatic compounds were the major thermal degradation products obtained for both kerogen and asphaltene fractions. Different monomeric and dimeric lignin-derived compounds were also released. The use of pyrolysis-methylation provides additional information about the chemical structural composition of the macromolecular organic matter comprising kerogens and asphaltenes at a molecular level, to that gained from conventional pyrolysis. The chemical structures of the released products indicate that considerable amounts of functionalized compounds are bound to the macromolecular structure of asphaltenes and kerogens via ester and ether linkages.