Diamondoids: occurrence in fossil fuels, applications in petroleum exploration and fouling in petroleum production. A review paper

Abstract

In this review paper, we report the molecular structure, origin, natural occurrence and variety of diamondoid hydrocarbons in petroleum fluids and other fossil fuels. In addition, we present the role of diamondoids as geochemical tools for petroleum characterisation, ways diamondoid molecules are used to play an important role in petroleum evaluation, and may be used to assess origin, extend of biodegradation and thermal maturity, as well as to identify the occurrence of petroleum. The diamondoid-based diagnostic ratios in environment science as well as diamondoid-based diagnostic ratios for petroleum maturity parameters are also presented and discussed. Such diamondoid-based parameters may be used to assess oil source, maturity and biodegradability, providing supporting information, especially when traditional evaluation data are not available or are difficult to interpret. We also report applications and problems associated with diamondoids in petroleum exploration and production. That is the role of diamondoids in petroleum and natural gas production fouling as well as separation, detection and measurements of petroleum diamondoids. We realise that the presence of diamondoids in petroleum has become much more than a chemical curiosity since it has advanced to be a resourceful instrument in petroleum science, biomedicine, materials science and an important family of molecular building blocks in nanotechnology. [

Observations of VOC emissions and photochemical products over US oil- and gas-producing regions using high-resolution H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup> CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS)

“…Other, non-terpene isomers of C 10 H 16 are found in fossil fuels. In particular, the presence of "diamondoids", characterized by cage-like structures, is well known (Dahl et al, 1999;Araujo et al, 2012). The smallest diamondoid molecule, adaman- tane (tricyclo[3, 3, 1, 1(3, 7)]decane, C 10 H 16 ), has a tetrahedral structure formed by three cyclohexane rings (Fig.…”

Nanodiamond-Rich Layer across Three Continents Consistent with Major Cosmic Impact at 12,800 Cal BP

“…Instead, the residue between NDs appears to consist of diamond-like nanocrystals arranged in short-range ordering that causes them to appear amorphous. It is possible that these are diamondoids, which are cage-like, ultrastable, saturated hydrocarbons (de Araujo et al 2012), whose carbon-carbon lattice framework is largely identical to a portion of the cubic ND lattice. Diamondoids are found in hydrocarbon and coal deposits; they are nearly as hard as diamonds; each diamondoid typically includes from 10 to 30 carbon atoms; they are composed almost entirely of sp 3 -bonded carbon (de Araujo et al 2012); and diamondoid powder can be visibly whitish to clear (Schoell and Carlson 1999).…”

“…It is possible that these are diamondoids, which are cage-like, ultrastable, saturated hydrocarbons (de Araujo et al 2012), whose carbon-carbon lattice framework is largely identical to a portion of the cubic ND lattice. Diamondoids are found in hydrocarbon and coal deposits; they are nearly as hard as diamonds; each diamondoid typically includes from 10 to 30 carbon atoms; they are composed almost entirely of sp 3 -bonded carbon (de Araujo et al 2012); and diamondoid powder can be visibly whitish to clear (Schoell and Carlson 1999). Diamondoids compare favorably to most of the crystals in the extracted residue, which also are dominantly carbon, have sp 3 bonding, produce a diffuse SAD pattern because of their small size, and are optically clear to white.…”

Diamondoids –The Molecular Lego of Biomedicine, Materials Science and Nanotechnology

“…Diamondoids were first discovered in petroleum [1] and since there has been limited progress in synthesizing them there have been continuous efforts in exploring them in petroleum and other fossil fuels [7][8][9][10]. The presence of diamondoids in fossil fuels has become much more than a chemical curiosity and has advanced to be a resourceful instrument in biomedicine, materials science, and nanotechnology [6].…”

“…Since 1960, the interest in practical applications of diamondoid molecules has steadily increased [3]. Diamondoids are presently molecular building blocks for biomedicine, materials science and nanotechnology that enable the design and manufacturing of nanometer-scale structures programmed to have virtually any desired shape and properties [4][5][6].Diamondoids were first discovered in petroleum [1] and since there has been limited progress in synthesizing them there have been continuous efforts in exploring them in petroleum and other fossil fuels [7][8][9][10]. The presence of diamondoids in fossil fuels has become much more than a chemical curiosity and has advanced to be a resourceful instrument in biomedicine, materials science, and nanotechnology [6].…”