我国地质体中新生物标志物结构鉴定研究的历程——以茂名油页岩为例

Research history of the structural identification of new biomarkers in the geological bodies of China:An example from the Maoming oil shale

生物标志物是地质体中能提供母源生物输入、沉积环境与成岩变化等多方面信息的特征有机化合物,是油气勘探的重要方法之一,也是有机地球化学的重要分支的核心内容。地质体中新生物标志物的结构鉴定,一直是我国分子有机地球化学发展的难点,直到近期才有突破。本文以茂名油页岩中新生物标志物的研究历程为例,回顾叙述了20世纪80年代以来,我国学者发表在学术刊物上的中国地质体中新生物标志物的论文,大致可归纳为以下几种方式:(1)国际合作研究成果,中国学者携带中国样品在国外实验室完成;(2)外国学者在中国样品中发现新化合物;(3)中国学者通过新化合物的质谱图解析,发现新化合物或新化合物的应用;(4)中国学者独立完成新化合物的结构鉴定。最后,展望了地质体中新生物标志物研究与应用的发展方向。

Biomarker compounds （biomarkers） are characteristic organic compounds in geological bodies that provide information on the biological inputs, sedimentary environments, and diagenetic evolution of the geological bodies. Biomarkers have thus become an important tool in petroleum exploration. The structural identification of new biomarkers in geological bodies has been a difficult course in China during the development of molecular organic geochemistry, and a breakthrough has not been made until recently. In this study, the Maoming Oil Shale is used as an example to describe the course and development of new biomarkers since the 1980s. According to the published papers on new biomarkers in Chinese geologic bodies in academic journals, several research approaches are concluded： （1） international cooperation research, where Chinese researchers analyzed Chinese samples and conducted some research work in foreign laboratories; （2） foreign researchers discovered new biomarkers in Chinese samples; （3） Chinese researchers discovered new biomarkers from simple mass spectral analysis and comparisons with known compounds; （4） Chinese researchers discovered new biomarkers and completed the structural identification of new biomarkers independently. Future research trends in biomarkers in geological bodies are discussed at the end of this paper.