Characterization of complex assemblages of organic acids in geological samples by negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using a double‐focusing magnetic sector field mass spectrometer

Abstract

Four different geological sample types (a crude oil, a crude oil asphaltene, a reservoir core extract and a reservoir core asphaltene) have been characterized by negative ionization electrospray mass spectrometry at low and high mass resolution using a double-focusing magnetic sector field mass spectrometer. The mass range, shape of the spectra and the signal distribution of the acidic constituents as well as the average molecular weights, the total ion abundance and signal intensity in the spectra were compared for the different sample types. Nominal mass classes have been evaluated and Kendrick mass plots were generated in order to identify homologous series. For the crude oil sample, accurate mass assignments were made by high-resolution double-focusing magnetic sector field mass spectrometry (DFMSFMS) and were compared with those obtained by negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS). With both instrument types, compounds with the molecular composition C(n)H(2n+z)O(2), among which carboxylic acids predominated, were the main acidic compound class detectable in negative ESI mass spectra. Good agreement was achieved for the double bond class distribution and the carbon number distribution of the O(2) class. In addition, minor compound classes could be identified using FTICRMS.

Petroleum Analysis

“…Direct analysis of naphthenic acids by FT-ICR and double-focusing MS was reported by Pötz et al Comparison of the compositional information provided by both techniques was similar, but the sector instrument was determined to overestimate the relative abundance of high carbon number species due to insufficient mass resolving power. Qian et al employed low-resolution ESI-MS for the measurement of total acid number (TAN) and TAN boiling point distributions for petroleum samples .…”