Even-carbon predominance of Monomethyl branched alkanes in Humic coal from Junggar Basin,NW China

A series of Monomethyl branched alkanes compounds were detected between nC₁₄–nC₃₆, in immature and low maturity Jurassic humic coal, Junggar basin. 2-methyl alkanes and 3-methyl alkanes accounted for the vast majority of the compounds. It is worth noting that the 2-methyl alkanes in the humic coal samples show an obvious distribution of even carbon predominances rarely reported in the literature. The results show that with the increase of Pr/Ph (pristane/phytane), the even carbon dominance of 2-methyl alkanes is more obvious, while the odd carbon number distribution of 3-methyl alkanes is weakened. As Pr/Ph increases in the humic coal, the relative content of the hopanes increased, while the relative content of 2-methyl alkanes and 3-methyl alkanes increases first and then decreases.