Chemical Methods for Assessing Kerogen and Protokerogen Types and Maturity

Abstract

This chapter summarizes what is known at the present time about changes which occur in kerogen structure as a result of biological, geological, and geothermal processes. These chemical- physical changes in kerogen structure, which will be considered here very broadly as changes in kerogen type and maturity, can be examined at the present time by a variety of chemical and spectroscopic methods, which will be the focus of this chapter. Microscopic methods will be summarized here as they pertain to kerogen chemical structure. Petrographic techniques, as they relate to bulk organic phases, provide important complementary information about the chemistry of the kerogen.