Mass-spectrometric analysis of complex volatile and nonvolatile crude oil components: a challenge.

Crude oil analysis has long been an inspiration for the development of analytical techniques. Especially mass spectrometry has flourished as a result of the challenge these extremely complex problems offer. Here an overview of different analytical methods is presented that shows different ways to analyze volatile and nonvolatile crude oil components. Focus has been placed on the use of mass spectrometry and especially the new developments that have been introduced using the emerging technique of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. These studies are examples of how far the development of analytical methods has come for the task of studying such complex problems.