THE CHEMICAL-STRUCTURE OF MACROMOLECULAR FRACTIONS OF A SULFUR-RICH OIL

A selective stepwise chemical degradation has been developed for structural studies of high-molecular-weight (HMW) fractions of sulfur-rich oils. The degradation steps are: (i) desulfurization; (ii) cleavage of oxygen-carbon bonds; and (iii) oxidation of aromatic structural units. After each step, the remaining macromolecular matter was subjected to the subsequent reaction. This degradation scheme was applied to the asphaltene, the resin, and a macromolecular fraction of low polarity (LPMF) of the Rozel Point oil. Total amounts of degraded low-molecular-weight compounds increased progressively in the order asphaltene < resin < LPMF. Desulfurization yielded mainly phytane, steranes, and triterpanes. Oxygen-carbon bond cleavage resulted in hydrocarbon fractions predominated by n-alkanes and acyclic isoprenoids. The oxidation step afforded high amounts of linear carboxylic acids in the range of C-11 to C33. The released compounds provide a more complete picture of the molecular structure of the oil fractions than previously available. Labelling experiments with deuterium atoms allowed to characterize the site of bonding and the type of linkage for the released compounds. Evidence is presented that subunits of the macromolecular network are attached simultaneously by oxygen and sulfur (n-alkanes, hopanes) or by sulfur and aromatic units (n-alkanes, steranes).