含硫化合物是石油中最常见的一类杂原子化合物，包含丰富地球化学信息，近年来分析技术取得了长足进步，为进一步认识石油含硫化合物提供了非常好的条件。本项目将“石油组学”的概念与方法引入到含硫化合物的石油地球化学研究中，通过不同类型硫化物的分离、定量分析等问题的解决，结合高分辨质谱分析的方法学研究，以组学研究的理念，全面认识石油含硫化合物。主要研究内容包括：开发适用于地球化学应用的含硫化合物分离富集方法，建立具有定量分析能力的含硫化合物的高分辨质谱分析方法，分析胶质、沥青质中含硫化合物分子组成，发现和鉴定新型含硫生物/分子标志化合物，研究含硫化合物的成因及演化机理。研究成果将推动新技术在石油地球化学领域的有效应用，有助于提高对重质油、沥青质和非烃的化学组成及其结构模型的认识，深化低熟油、重质油的成因机理及其演化规律研究，完善石油含硫化合物的地球化学理论，为勘探实践提供理论依据和技术支撑.

Sulfur compounds are the most common heteroatoms in petroleum, and contain a wealth of geochemical information about the petroleum source precursor, depositional environment, maturity, migration, and alteration. The understanding of petroleum sulfur compounds in complex mixtures of multi-compound classes is generally based on the compositional analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. Analytical techniques have progressed considerably in the past decade and improved methodologies provide the comprehensively characterize sulfur compounds in petroleum. This project will introduce the concept and methodology of petroleomic analysis in geochemical studies. Comprehensive characterization and interpretation of sulfur compounds will be carried out by the development and application of novel enrichment methods and semi-quantitative analysis using high resolution mass spectrometry. The research topics include, but not limited to, the following issues: the development of geochemistry- oriented rapid isolation methods for sulfur compounds enrichment; the development of semi-quantitative molecular compositional analysis methods based on high resolution mass spectrometry; molecular composition of heavy petroleum, including asphaltenes and resin fractions; characterization and identification of novel bio- and molecular-markers of sulfur compounds; and interpretation of the formation and evolution mechanism of sulfur compounds in petroleum. The results of this study would support the application of emerging technologies in petroleum geochemistry and enhance our understanding of heavy oil’s chemical composition and its polar fractions, as well as the formation and evolution mechanisms of unconventional petroleum. The results should improve the geochemical theory of sulfur compounds and improve petroleum exploration practices.