The modern theory of the abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons, which has been developed during the last 50 years in Russia, recognizes that petroleum is a primordial material of deep origin which has been erupted into the crust of the Earth. Up to now the modern theory of the abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons was a geologists' theory. Recently, theoretical arguments and experimental results place the modern theory of abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons in the mainstream of modern physics and chemistry. It has been shown that the spontaneous genesis in the Earth of hydrocarbons, heavier than methane, under crustal conditions is prohibited by the second law of thermodynamics.
Recent experimental results confirm the possibility of hydrocarbon synthesis in the Earth under upper mantle conditions. The mixture of the initial members of alkans, alkens and arens has been obtained as a result of chemical reactions in the system CaCO3 - H2O - FeO at pressures of 2.5–5.0 GPa and at temperatures of 1200–1500 °C. Highpressure equipment used gave us the possibility to reach a chemical equilibrium in the experiment cell. No biotic compounds were admitted to the reaction cell. Massspectrometer and the standard chromatograph were used for analysis of the products of high-pressure reaction. This experimental demonstration of the spontaneous, high-pressure genesis of hydrocarbons can be accepted as support for the modern theory of abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons. The abiotic theory allows us to apply a new approach to methods for petroleum exploration, oil and gas formation and to reexamine the world's hydrocarbons reserves.
The hypothesis of abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons was coexisting together with the hypothesis of biotic genesis in Petroleum Science during more that one and a half century. The greatest scientists such as M. Lomonosov, von Humboldt, Guy-Lussac, D.Mendeleev, P. Berthelot and N. Kudriavtsev took part in discussions dealing with genesis of hydrocarbons. Together with others researchers they have brought a lot of brilliant ideas and new approaches but nobody could get experimental confirmation of the possibility of abyssal abiotic synthesis of hydrocarbons. At the same time an experimental confirmation of the possibility of the abiotic synthesis of hydrocarbons deeply in the Earth will help us to apply a new approach to methods for petroleum exploration, oil and gas fields formation and the world hydrocarbons resources.
The modern theory of the abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons, which has been developed during the last 50 years in Russia, recognizes that petroleum is a primordial material of deep origin which has been erupted into the crust of the Earth. Up to now the modern theory of the abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons was a geologists' theory. Recently, theoretical arguments [1] and experimental results place the modern theory of abiotic genesis of hydrocarbons in the mainstream of modern physics and chemistry.
Because the H-C system typical of petroleum is generated at high pressures, and exists only as a metastable m?lange at laboratory pressures, special high-pressure apparatus has been designed which permits investigations at pressures to 50 kbar and temperatures to 1500 °C, and which also allows rapid cooling while maintaining high pressures.
