Abstract
THE isoprenoid hydrocarbons, pristane and phyfcane, which occur together in crude oils1–4, oil shale5 and ancient sediments6, are presumed to have been formed from chlorophyll by various reaction routes. Neither pristane nor phytane is a normal constituent of land plants7. Pristane and phytadienes are abundant in marine organisms, and pristane (but not phytane) is present in recent marine sediments. It has been suggested that phytane is a post-depositional geochemical product8. Our investigations of the occurrence of normal, branched and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons in coals9 have shown that they are formed during coalification principally at stages of diagenesis later than brown coal9a.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 52 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.83 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bendoraitis, J. G., Brown, B. L., and Hepner, L. S., Proc. Sixth World Petrol. Cong., section 5, 13 (1963).
Martin, R. L., Winters, J. C., and Williams, J. A., Proc. Sixth World Petrol. Cong., section 5, 252 (1963).
Dean, R. A., and Whitehead, E. V., Proc. Sixth World Petrol. Cong., section 5, 261 (1963).
Welte, D., Erdöl u Kohle, 20, 65 (1967).
Robinson, W. E., Cummins, J. J., and Dinneen, G. U., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 29, 249 (1965).
Johns, R. B., Belsky, T., McCarthy, E. D., Burlingame, A. L., Haug, P., Schnoes, H. K., Richter, W., and Calvin, M., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 30, 1191 (1966).
Brieskorn, C. H., and Zimmerman, K., Experientia, 21, 385 (1965).
Blumer, M., and Snyder, W. D., Science, 150, 1588 (1965).
Brooks, J. D., and Smith, J. W., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 31, 2389 (1967).
Brooks, J. D., and Smith, J. W., Geochim. Acta (in the press).
Blumer, M., and Cooper, W. J., Science, 158, 1463 (1967).
Burlingame, A. L., and Simoneit, B. R., Science, 160, 531 (1968).
Maclean, I., Eglinton, G., Douraghi-Zadeh, K., Ackman, R. G., and Hooper, S. N., Nature, 218, 1019 (1968).
Cason, J., and Graham, D. W., Tetrahedron, 21 (3), 471 (1965).
De Jersey, N. J., Queensland Dept Mines, Geol. Survey Queensland, No. 329 (1965).
Bur. Min. Resources Geol. Geophys. Petrol. Search Subsidy Act, Publ. No. 76.
Elphick, J. O., and Suggate, R. P., NZ J. Geol. Geophys., 7 (3), 594 (1964).
Stransky, K., Streibl, M., and Herout, V., Coll. Czeckalov. Commun., 32, 3213 (1967).
Clark, jun., R. C., and Blumer, M., Limnol. and Oceanog., 12, 79 (1967).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BROOKS, J., GOULD, K. & SMITH, J. Isoprenoid Hydrocarbons in Coal and Petroleum. Nature 222, 257–259 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/222257a0
Received:
Revised:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/222257a0
