Acidic molecular fossils: origin, isolation and applications (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The researcher team of the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory (Nature Sciences Center, Federal University of Piaui, UFPI, Brazil) has developed an challenging work revising a wide range of topics in Organic Geochemistry with emphasis on acidic molecular fossils, including their origin, isolation, and main applications. A large number of papers cover this theme and huge work was employed to systematize this vast knowledge. This effort is worthwhile for making possible a larger number of students to acquire a deeper understanding of organic geochemistry and become higher-skilled professionals. Among the main topics discussed in this book are; an introduction to biomarker isolation and analysis techniques, discussions about biological precursors of neutral molecular fossils, involving primary producers, the related processes of transformation of bio- to geolipids with the description in details of the chemical paths of such transformations. The discussion was completed with the introduction to the use of diagnostic compounds as a sophisticated tool to study conditions in the environment where organically enriched sediments were deposited and preserved. Detection and extraction methods of neutral and acidic biomarkers have also been considered in the discussion, including alternative procedures. The main geochemical characteristics of the representative petroleum group from Brazilian basins are also commented on from specialized literature. Especially, the variations in the relative proportions of diagnostic biomarkers, bulk parameters, and gas chromatographic signatures. Certainly, this valuable information will make more accessible the understanding about how petroleum can be classified based on the inherited composition from sources, history of thermal evolution, and preservation through geological time. This book is supplemented with a case history using geochemical information of the Codó Formation, Parnaiba Basin. This formation was deposited during the interval Late Aptian-Early Albian (Cretaceous) when most of the sediments in basins alongshore Brazil deposited varying sediments under transitional conditions of the environment and climate. Due to such conditions, highly complex signatures of biomarkers are found with compositions of organic matter from organisms thriving in lacustrine, shallow marine or fluvial-deltaic conditions. The overall procedure emphasizing carboxylic acids involving isolation, separation, and analyses has shown a promising tool for the geochemical characterization of potential source rocks and related oils. This work represents an intense effort of the Geochemistry Group at (UFPI) and the contribution of Petrobras through the sponsorship of research projects. For this successful partnership, both must be acknowledged.