Structure Elucidation of C80, C81 and C82 Isoprenoid Tetra Acids Responsible for Naphthenate Deposition in Crude Oil Production

Abstract

Structure Elucidation of C80, C81 and C82 Isoprenoid Tetra Acids Responsible for Naphthenate Deposition in Crude Oil Production

A series of C80 isoprenoid 20-bis-16, 16’-biphytanyl tetra acids has previously been found to be responsible for calcium naphthenate scaling in crude oil processing. This paper describes the structure elucidation by high-field NMR spectroscopy of the structures of the series of homologous C80 tetra acids containing 4-8 five-membered rings. In addition, the structures of methyl-substituted C81 and C82 analogues containing 7 and 8 five-membered rings have been determined for the first time. The biosynthetic implications are discussed.