Advances in petroleum geochemistry. Volume 1 / Достижения в области геохимии нефти. Том 1

Geochemistry has been defined as "the science concerned with chemistry of the earth, as a whole, and its component parts" . More specifically, geochemistry deals with the distribution and movement of chemical elements within the earth in both time and space. Geochemistry is, at one and the same time, both more restricted and also more extensive in scope than geology. It is restricted in that it is not particularly concerned with the historical or structural aspects of the earth, but it is more extensive in that it provides a much deeper and fundamental insight into geological processes and composition of geological materials. Just as chemistry can be conveniently divided into three main subjects, geochemistry can be similarly subdivided into inorganic, physical and organic geochemistry.
Petroleum geochemistry is an applied, specialist section of organic geochemistry (see Fig. 1). Although applications of biochemical, microbiological, natural product chemistry and modern organic chemical analytical techniques have resulted in the rapid development of petroleum and organic geochemistry in recent years, it must not be forgotten, however, that the prefix "geo-" is present in geochemistry and the "chemistry" root is only a part of the geochemical investigation. The significance and success of any study is considerably enhanced, and it is essential that the study correctly evaluates and integrates the geological controls and information into work programmes and conclusions <...>