Wren Montgomery

Natural History Museum

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Mark A. Sephton

Imperial College London

Jonathan S. Watson

Imperial College London

Pushkar Deshpande

Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Eleanor Schofield

Mary Rose Trust

James P. Ewen

Imperial College London

Tom Reddyhoff

Imperial College London

Mark D. Welch

Natural History Museum

Mark D. Frogley

Diamond Light Source

Raymond Jeanloz

University of California, Berkeley

Samuel P. Kounaves

Tufts University

Cooperative Institutions

Imperial College London

Natural History Museum

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Planetary Science Institute

University College London

University of California, Berkeley

University of Edinburgh

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Helmholtz Zentrum München

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Final Report. IUT No. B560420 with UC Berkeley. Organic Chemistry at High Pressures &Temperatures

Wren Montgomery Jonathan C. Crowhurst Joseph M. Zaug Raymond Jeanloz

We have successfully completed the research outlined in our proposal: Organic Chemistry at High Pressures and Temperatures. We have experimentally determined a phase diagram which documents the phases and reaction regimes of cyanuric acid , H{sub 3}C{sub 3}N{sub 3}O{sub 3} (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione), from 300 - 750 K and 0 - 8.1 GPa. We utilized a comparatively new technique to study thin samples of cyanuric acid in the diamond anvil cell in order to collect ambient temperature, high pressure FTIR and Raman data as well as the high-pressure, high-temperature data used in the phase diagram. These experiments made use of the CMLS High-pressure lab's diamond anvil facilities as well as the FTIR and Raman systems.

Cyanuric acid

Diamond anvil cell

10.2172/908121

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High temperature reactions of water with heavy oil and bitumen: Insights into aquathermolysis chemistry during steam-assisted recovery

Fuel (2013)

Wren Montgomery Richard W. Court Andrew Rees Mark A. Sephton

Asphaltene

Steam injection

10.1016/j.fuel.2013.05.098

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Citations (45)

Effects of Pressure on Model Compounds of Meteorite Organic Matter

ACS Earth and Space Chemistry (2017)

Christian Potiszil Wren Montgomery Mark A. Sephton

Extraterrestrial organic matter has been widely studied; however, its response to pressure has not. Primitive organic matter bearing meteorites, such as CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites, have experienced variable pressures, up to 10 GPa. To appreciate the effects of these pressures on the organic content of these bodies, the model compounds isophthalic acid, vanillin, and vanillic acid were subjected to pressures of up to 11.5 GPa and subsequently decompressed. High-resolution synchrotron source Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the effects of different benzene substituents at high pressure on both the vibrational assignments of the benzene core of the molecules and the ability of the aromatic compounds to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The presence of additional peaks at high pressure was found to coincide with molecules that contain carboxyl groups; these features are interpreted as C–H···O intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The formation of these hydrogen bonds has implications for the origination of macromolecular organic matter (MOM), owing to the importance of such attractive forces during episodes of cross-linking, such as esterification. Pressure-induced hydrogen-bond formation is a process by which aromatic MOM precursors could have cross-linked to generate the organic polymers found within extraterrestrial bodies today.

Isophthalic acid

10.1021/acsearthspacechem.7b00053

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The Effects of Minerals on Heavy Oil and Bitumen Chemistry When Recovered Using Steam-Assisted Methods

SPE Heavy Oil Conference-Canada (2014)

Wren Montgomery Mark A. Sephton Jonathan S. Watson Huang Zeng

Abstract The production of gaseous sulfur-containing species during the steam-assisted recovery of heavy oil and bitumen have important consequences for both economics and safety. Factors such as the effects of mineral matrices require laboratory data to produce accurate models. To study mineral effects on gas production we studied a well-characterized oil-containing core and the isolated crude oil from that core. The samples were run at 250–300°C in the continued presence of liquid water for 24 hours. The reaction products of all experiments include gases, oil flotate, oil sinkate, water-soluble products, and water-insoluble residues. All reaction products were studied with a variety of analytical techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, chromatographic fractionation (SARA analysis), GC-MS, pyrolysis GCMS and GC-FPD/TCD. These techniques were applied to whole oil, maltenes and asphaltene fractions. Physical properties including viscosity and density were also measured. Our data provide insights into the physical and chemical consequences of steam assisted recovery of heavy oils and bituments from sedimentary rock reservoirs and reveal that geological and geochemical context is an essential consideration.

Asphaltene

Steam injection

Fraction (chemistry)

10.2118/170035-ms

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Quantitative Laboratory Assessment Of Aquathermolysis Chemistry During Steam-assisted Recovery Of Heavy Oils And Bitumen, With A Focus On Sulfur

SPE Heavy Oil Conference-Canada (2013)

Wren Montgomery Mark A. Sephton Richard W. Court Jonathan S. Watson Huang Zeng

Abstract The production of gaseous sulfur-containing species during the steam-assisted recovery of heavy oil and bitumen presents problems owing to their toxicity, corrosion properties and odor. In order to quantitatively study aquathermolysis sulfur chemistry during the thermal (steam-assisted) recovery of heavy oils we have subjected a well-characterized and sulfur-rich bitumen core sample to 150 - 325°C and 70 - 1740 psia (0.48 - 12 MPa) conditions in the continued presence of liquid water for 24 hours. The reaction products include gases, oil flotate, oil sinkate, water-soluble products, and water- insoluble residues. All have been studied with a variety of analytical techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, chromatographic fractionation (SARA analysis), GC-FPD and GC-MS. Moreover, these techniques have been extended to analysis of the asphaltene fractions. Results suggest that some in-situ upgrading of the oil occurs under these conditions; additionally, gaseous hydrogen sulfide is released at temperatures at and above 250 °C. Variations in the relative abundances of solubility classes and chemical fractions imply that the source of sulfur is via the thermal degradation of resins and/or asphaltenes. The experimental methods, results and quantification approach discussed herein will be useful to support the development of models for engineering design of facilities for the steam-assisted recovery of heavy oils and bitumen.

Asphaltene

Steam injection

10.2118/165404-ms

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Effect of Hydration State of Martian Perchlorate Salts on Their Decomposition Temperatures During Thermal Extraction

Journal of Geophysical Research Planets (2017)

Samuel Royle Wren Montgomery Samuel P. Kounaves Mark A. Sephton

Abstract Three Mars missions have analyzed the composition of surface samples using thermal extraction techniques. The temperatures of decomposition have been used as diagnostic information for the materials present. One compound of great current interest is perchlorate, a relatively recently discovered component of Mars' surface geochemistry that leads to deleterious effects on organic matter during thermal extraction. Knowledge of the thermal decomposition behavior of perchlorate salts is essential for mineral identification and possible avoidance of confounding interactions with organic matter. We have performed a series of experiments which reveal that the hydration state of magnesium perchlorate has a significant effect on decomposition temperature, with differing temperature releases of oxygen corresponding to different perchlorate hydration states (peak of O 2 release shifts from 500 to 600°C as the proportion of the tetrahydrate form in the sample increases). Changes in crystallinity/crystal size may also have a secondary effect on the temperature of decomposition, and although these surface effects appear to be minor for our samples, further investigation may be warranted. A less than full appreciation of the hydration state of perchlorate salts during thermal extraction analyses could lead to misidentification of the number and the nature of perchlorate phases present.

Perchlorate

Ammonium perchlorate

10.1002/2017je005381

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Preservation Potential of Molecular Biosignatures in the Martian Subsurface

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020)

A. D. Bravenec Geoffrey D. Bromiley Wren Montgomery C. R. Cousins Colin R. Ward

Source

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Breaking the trade-off between oil film thickness and viscous friction – n-alcohol-containing lubricants in high-pressure contacts

Tom Reddyhoff Wren Montgomery Muhammad Suhaimee Pushkar Deshpande Yunhao Xia

Low-friction lubricant formulations are urgently needed to improve the energy efficiency of machines. Here, we show that blending 1-dodecanol with a hydrocarbon oil improves lubrication in non-conformal sliding/rolling contacts by simultaneously increasing hydrodynamic film thickness and reducing viscous friction. This is due to pressure-induced polymorphic phase transformations in the 1-dodecanol molecules after they flow through the film thickness-determining inlet and reach the load-supporting zone. At relatively low pressures, 1-dodecanol forms a lamellar hexagonal solid polymorph that gives durable superlubricity then, at higher pressures, it forms an orthorhombic polymorph. Both polymorphs cause anomalously low friction when blended into various hydrocarbon base oils over a wide range of speed, pressure, and shear rate conditions representative of rolling bearing and gear contacts. By breaking the ubiquitous trade-off between friction and film thickness, and enabling superlubricity, these blends pave the way for considerable energy efficiency improvements in widespread lubricated contacts.

10.26434/chemrxiv-2024-0k7w3

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Correlative microspectroscopy of biogenic fabrics in Proterozoic silicified stromatolites

Geochemical Perspectives Letters (2024)

Keyron Hickman‐Lewis Barbara Cavalazzi Wren Montgomery

Questions surrounding the biogenicity of ancient stromatolites have perplexed geobiologists for decades.Abiotic processes can produce superficially stromatolite-like structures; moreover, stromatolites frequently fail to preserve organic materials and cellular traces of their microbial architects.Using spatially correlated optical and electron microscopy coupled with Raman and FTIR microspectroscopy, we show that silicified stromatolites from the Tonian Skillogalee Dolomite (Flinders Ranges, South Australia) contain exceptionally well preserved microbial mat fragments and microbially induced sedimentary structures.These organic-rich layers exhibit mat-like laminations with low degrees of inheritance and reflect interactions between microbial communities and their environments, i.e. growth, sediment trapping and binding, and reactions to early diagenesis, and are inconsistent with abiotic formation.Although accounting for a minor proportion of the volume of the stromatolites, these kerogenous relics are demonstrably syngenetic and comprise aromatic and aliphatic organic materials, likely preserved due to early and rapid silicification.Constraining the origins of such lamination-scale features can elucidate relationships between morphogenesis and diagenesis and may assist in the resolution of controversies surrounding stromatolite biogenicity in deep time.

Correlative

10.7185/geochemlet.2419

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Melting Curve and High-Pressure Chemistry of Formic Acid to 8 GPa and 600 K

The Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2005)

Wren Montgomery J. M. Zaug W. M. Howard Alexander F. Goncharov J. C. Crowhurst

We have determined the melting temperature of formic acid (HCOOH) as a function of pressure to 8.5 GPa using infrared absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and visual observation of samples in a resistively heated diamond-anvil cell. The experimentally determined incongruent melting curve compares favorably with a two-phase thermodynamic model. Decomposition reactions were observed above the melting temperature up to a pressure of 6.5 GPa, with principal products being CO2, H2O, and CO. At pressures above 6.5 GPa, decomposition led to reaction products that could be quenched as solids to zero pressure, and infrared and Raman spectra indicate that pressure leads to the presence of sp3 carbon-carbon bonding in these reaction products.

Melting curve analysis

Diamond anvil cell

Carbon fibers

10.1021/jp051967y

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Citations (29)