SEPARATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF NICKEL P ORPHYRINS AND OXOVANADIUM PORPHYRINS IN OILSANDSTONE BY 3-DIMENSIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Nickel porphyrins and oxovanadium porphyrins in oilsandstone produced in Bolivia of South America were analyzed by three-dimensional reverse d phase high-performance liquid chromatography (3D-HPLC) and accurate mass determination with EI-MS. Twenty-one species of nickel porphyrin and twelve species of oxovanadium porphyrin were present in oilsandsto ne, respectively (Figs. 5 and 6). The demetalation products of nickel porphyrins were also analyzed by 3D-HPLC (Fig. 8). They had four absor ption maximums for Q-band in the wavelength region 490 to 620 nm. The order of absorbance of the maximums for Q-band gave the presence of tw o types of porphyrins, namely deoxophylloerythroetioporphyrin (DPEP) t ype and etioporphyrin type, distinguished by containing pentane ring. From result of 3D-HPLC and accurate mass determination, twenty-four sp ecies of nickel porphyrins and eighteen species of oxovanadium porphyr ins have been found to present, resepectively. The number of DPEP type species of nickel porphyrins was less than that of etioporphyrin type species of them. On the other hand, both types of oxovanadium porphyr ins were almost equal in number of their species (Table 1). Therefore, thermal transformation of DPEP type into etioporphyrin type in produc tion process of fossil fuels was suggested.