Gel Permeation Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GPC ICP HR MS) was used for the understanding of the evolution of two crude oil cut samples after their dilution. We firstly studied different method parameters in order to compare two GPC procedures already published (flow rate, column set, presence or not of the THF stabilizer). Thus, the principal parameters affecting the molecular size distribution and its evolution were demonstrated. The column set and flow rate can affect drastically the molecular size distribution of the sample. Moreover an evolution of the size distribution of the complexes of vanadium, nickel and sulfur into higher molecular weight compounds was observed over time.The study led to the recommendation of the sample preparation to the same day of the analysis in order to obtain reproducible data.

Recent advances in instrumentation for high-field Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) have enabled access to ∼70 000 unique molecular formulas in broadband mass spectral characterization of unfractionated/whole asphaltenes. The results accumulated over a decade highlight the need for an asphaltene molecular model that acknowledges the coexistence of (1) monofunctional and polyfunctional species; (2) island and archipelago structural motifs; and (3) heteroatom-depleted/highly aromatic compounds, as well as atypical species with low aromaticity but increased heteroatom content. Collectively, results from FT-ICR MS, preparatory-scale separations (extrography/interfacial material), gel permeation chromatography, precipitation behavior in heptane:toluene, thermal decomposition, and aggregate microstructure by atomic force microscopy (among other techniques), suggest that the strong aggregation of asphaltenes results from the synergy between several intermolecular forces: π-stacking, hydrogen bonding, London forces, and acid/base interactions. This review presents general features of asphaltene molecular composition reported over the past five decades. We focus on mass spectrometry characterization and expose the reasons why early results supported the dominance of single-core motifs. Then, the discussion shifts to recent advances in instrumentation for high-field FT-ICR MS, which have enabled the detection of thousands of species in asphaltene samples, whose molecular composition and fragmentation behavior in ultrahigh vacuum agree with the coexistence of single-core and multicore structural motifs. Furthermore, evidence that highlights the limitations of commercially available/custom-built ion sources and selective ionization effects is presented. Consequently, the limitations require separations (e.g., chromatography, extrography) to gain more-comprehensive molecular-level insights into the composition of these complex organic mixtures. The final sections present evidence for the role of aggregation in selective ionization and suggest that advanced characterization by both thermal desorption/decomposition and liquid chromatography with online FT-ICR MS detection can be employed to mitigate the effects of aggregation and provide unique insights in molecular composition/structure.

We have examined the aggregation behavior of a typical atmospheric residue feedstock by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The size profiles for compounds containing sulfur, vanadium, and nickel were determined online from elemental detection by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry. Four fractions that vary in aggregation state were analyzed by positive atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) 9.4 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APPI FT-ICR MS). Results showed an inverse relationship between fraction aggregate size and monomer ion yield and revealed that aggregation tendency did not correlate with higher polar or aromatic species abundance. Aggregation in the atmospheric residue more closely correlated with increased relative abundance of larger and more aliphatic compounds. The molecular composition of the GPC aggregate fractions suggests that nonpolar intermolecular forces between saturated, long-chain alkyl substituents contribute more to aggregation than pi–pi interactions.

Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) has exposed the ultracomplexity of fossil fuels, thereby validating the compositional trends that rule petroleum distillation, known as the Boduszynski Continuum. Routine FT-ICR MS analysis of a single crude oil sample can reveal tens-of-thousands of unique molecular formulas; however, currently available ionization methods suffer from limitations for such complex mixtures that are not yet completely understood. Simply put, MS detects ions, and thus, it depends heavily on the ability of ion sources to indiscriminately volatilize and subsequently ionize samples of interest. Despite advances in soft ionization methods, the characterization of complex matrices remains a challenge due to the lack of an ion source, commercial or custom-built, that can vaporize and ionize all compounds without bias, save analyte concentration. However, atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) has been shown to provide the most uniform ion production for mixtures of petroleum model compounds and real samples, with little to no fragmentation. In this work, we investigated the molecular composition of PetroPhase 2017 asphaltenes and its extrography fractions, with a focus on the total vanadium content and molecular composition of vanadyl porphyrins as a function of aggregate size distribution, accessed through separate experiments: online gel permeation chromatography (GPC) inductively coupled plasma−MS (ICP−MS) and online GPC APPI FT-ICR MS (at 21 T). The results reveal that the extrography separation provides asphaltene fractions (i.e., acetone, Hep/Tol, and Tol/THF/MeOH) enriched in 51 V-containing compounds with distinctive aggregate size distributions. The acetone fraction features smaller aggregate sizes, as it elutes later in the GPC chromatogram than Hep/Tol and Tol/THF/MeOH fractions, and overall, presents up to ∼14-fold higher ionization efficiency in APPI. Such behavior suggests a correlation between aggregate size and production efficiency of monomeric ions in APPI. Bulk compositional trends accessed by GPC separation and highlighted by ICP−MS detection indicate that despite multiple separation steps (i.e. extrography followed by GPC), APPI FT-ICR MS can only access ∼37% of the total V-containing compounds. Although the more stable/larger aggregates dominate the size distributions of all asphaltene samples studied, it is the weakly aggregated/monomeric species that are preferentially observed by APPI-MS. Tendencies in the molecular composition of vanadyl porphyrins and S/O-containing compounds strongly suggest that London forces might be central in the self-assembly process of asphaltene nanoaggregates to produce more massive clusters. The results demonstrate that the observed compositional trends (albeit limited) can be accessed when coupling advanced chromatographic separations with online high-field FT-ICR MS detection.