Classification of Kerogen from Aleksinac (Yugoslavia) Oil Shale Based on its Oxidation Products

A twenty-three step alkaline permanganate degradation of kerogen from Aleksinac (Yugoslavia) shale was carried out. A very high total yield of oxidation products was obtained (92.840/0 based on original kerogen). Detailed GC-MS analyses of ether-soluble acids, soluble products of further controlled permanganate degradation of precipitated acids and acids from aqueous solutions, served as basis for quantitative estimation of the participation of various types of products and for comparison with other kerogens based on similar criteria. The prevailing saturated long-chain aliphatic structure of oxidation products suggested a predominantly open-chain cross-linked aliphatic structure of Aleksinac shale kerogen, classified as type Ikerogen. Nevertheless, noticeable proportion of alkane-polycarboxylic and aromatic acids in the oxidation products indicated a larger share of alicyclic, heterocyclic, and aromatic structures in this kerogen. Oxidative degradation products were shown to enable more precise structural interpretation than the classification based on elemental analysis