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Wiktionary
kerogen

n. any organic matter present in a sedimentary rock that is insoluble in organic solvents; the precursor of oil and natural gas

Wikipedia
Kerogen

Kerogen (Greek κηρός "wax" and -gen, γένεση "birth") is a mixture of organic chemical compounds that make up a portion of the organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It is insoluble in normal organic solvents because of the high molecular weight (upwards of 1,000 daltons or 1000 Da; 1Da= 1 atomic mass unit) of its component compounds. The soluble portion is known as bitumen. When heated to the right temperatures in the Earth's crust, (oil window c. 50–150 °C, gas window c. 150–200 °C, both depending on how quickly the source rock is heated) some types of kerogen release crude oil or natural gas, collectively known as hydrocarbons ( fossil fuels). When such kerogens are present in high concentration in rocks such as shale, they form possible source rocks. Shales rich in kerogens that have not been heated to a warmer temperature to release their hydrocarbons may form oil shale deposits.

The name "kerogen" was introduced by the Scottish organic chemist Alexander Crum Brown in 1906.

Usage examples of "kerogen".

I'm looking forward to getting this kerogen, or whatever it is, back to the hab module.

Without the kerogen supplement, our ecosystem isn't going to last long.

Mariko says kerogen is so useful we might as well have found chicken soup in the rocks.

All day and all night there’s the roar of the extractor furnaces, heating and grinding the marlstone to get the kerogen out of it, and the rumble of the long-line conveyors, dragging the spent shale away to pile it somewhere.

All day and all night there's the roar of the extractor furnaces, heating and grinding the marlstone to get the kerogen out of it, and the rumble of the long-line conveyors, dragging the spent shale away to pile it somewhere.