Definition
Petroleum is a naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon chemical compounds originating in sedimentary rocks predominantly from the thermal alteration of once-living organic matter over time and at elevated pressure. This article concerns the occurrence and composition of petroleum on and within the earth.
Introduction
This definition of petroleum is highly specific; it includes statements about both composition and origin. Other nonspecific terms, often used to indicate petroleum, are not appropriate. For example, “hydrocarbon ” is a chemical definition – i.e., a molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen – of one type of chemical compound in petroleum, but this term is not synonymous with petroleum (because petroleum also contains non-hydrocarbons). Likewise, oil, gas, asphaltenes, aromatics, etc., are phases of petroleum or compound classes within petroleum, but again, these terms are not synonymous with petroleum. Here we will use...
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Curiale, J.A. (2017). Petroleum: Chemistry and Occurrence. In: Sorkhabi, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Petroleum Geoscience. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_1-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02330-4_1-1
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