Abstract The nanoscale molecular composition of sedimentary organic matter is challenging to characterize in situ given the limited tools available that can adequately interrogate its complex chemical structure. This is a particularly relevant issue in source rocks, as kerogen composition will strongly impact its reactivity and so is critical to understanding petroleum generation processes during catagenesis. The recent advent of tip-enhanced analytical methods, such as atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), has allowed for the major compositional features of kerogen and other types of in situ organic matter to be elucidated at spatial resolutions at or below 50 nm. Here AFM-IR was applied to examine inertinite, an important organic matter type, present in a thermally immature Eagle Ford calcareous mudstone. The data show that the nanoscale molecular composition of the examined inertinite is (i) less heterogeneous than solid bitumen in more thermally mature Eagle Ford samples and (ii) more hydrogen- and oxygen-rich than inertinite examined in the New Albany Shale.

中文翻译：

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使用基于原子力显微镜的红外光谱在纳米尺度上检查未成熟 Eagle Ford 页岩中的惰性

摘要 沉积有机质的纳米级分子组成很难在原位表征，因为可以充分研究其复杂化学结构的可用工具有限。这是烃源岩中一个特别相关的问题，因为干酪根成分将强烈影响其反应性，因此对于理解催化作用过程中的石油生成过程至关重要。最近出现的尖端增强分析方法，例如基于原子力显微镜的红外光谱 (AFM-IR)，使得干酪根和其他类型的原位有机物的主要成分特征能够在空间分辨率为 或低于 50 纳米。在这里，AFM-IR 被应用于检查惰性物质，一种重要的有机物质类型，存在于热未成熟的 Eagle Ford 钙质泥岩中。