Hiya, Bill,
Nah, don't accept it, but go a couple of steps further. That way, you may do
yourself and others some good. I'm already on my way out.
Fractional distillation will do nothing to isotopic composition. That is a
chemical process; isotopic makeup is nuclear.
I have no doubts that all "fossil" fuels are ...just that. Fossil.
But even if they are NOT (!) from a fossilized biological residue, burning them
and adding this additional previously sequestered C to the atmosphere will
still increase the greenhouse effect, as sure as shootin'.
Let's call it "sequestered carbon" if you have doubts about its prehistoric
biological origin. It's OK.
Some fringe-scientists and band-wagon wannabees claim that Oil is a-biotic.
Tommy Gold has been discredited in this regard, an otherwise good NASA
scientist who I knew personally in the 1970s. There's basic chemistry that not
everyone remembers, but which is conclusive.
When one looks at carbon compounds in petroleum, one finds that the organic
compounds are racemic. Biology produces homochirality of racemic compounds,
and nothing else does this. That closes the case. Coal compounds also show
the same property of being related to Life, and to nothing else. I am also
proud and happy to have some pretty samples of Coal with lovely fern fossil
imprints in them, keepsakes of mine since we last burned coal in my NJ hometown
in the 1950s. But, again, oil compounds show the same homochiral racemicity,
and that's proof of the puddin', ...and the puddling.
What? is taught in schools these days that keeps people ignorant, or forgetful,
of such fundamental high-school science? I still have hopes for (future)
education, though, notwithstanding the past weaknesses. The future cannot come
too soon. ;-)
--Joe
> "brintala@..." <brintala@...> wrote:
>
> I can appreciate what you are saying Joe. I haven't read about the origin of
> petroleum since Graduate school but there has never been a clear consensus as
> to where it comes from. The misnomer, fossil fuel, applies to it, natural
> gas and coal but to my knowledge coal is the only one that has direct ties to
> an organic origin. That aside and being that I am not a geochemist and have
> no idea what fractional distillation of hydrocarbons might do to the carbon.
> I resign and will accept what you say.
>
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