I Introduction.- 1 Biogeochemical Cycles: A Review of Fundamental Aspects of Organic Matter Formation, Preservation, and Composition.- 2 A Review of Macromolecular Organic Compounds That Comprise Living Organisms and Their Role in Kerogen, Coal, and Petroleum Formation.- 3 Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production.- II Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter.- 4 Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter: The Dynamics (Rates) of Cycling of Organic Compounds.- 5 The Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter: Bacterial Activity.- 6 Production, Transport, and Alteration of Particulate Organic Matter in the Marine Water Column.- 7 Organic Matter at the Sediment-Water Interface.- 8 The Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter in Lacustrine Sediments.- 9 Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter in Sediments: Assessment of Mechanisms and Preservation by the Use of Isotopic Molecular Approaches.- 10 Marine Invertebrate Feeding and the Sedimentary Lipid Record.- 11 Early Diagenesis: Consequences for Applications of Molecular Biomarkers.- 12 The Early Diagenesis of Organic Matter: Reaction at the Air-Sea Interface.- III Kerogen and Related Materials.- 13 Determination of Structural Components of Kerogens by the Use of Analytical Pyrolysis Methods.- 14 Chemical Methods for Assessing Kerogen and Protokerogen Types and Maturity.- 15 Organic Petrographic Approach to Kerogen Characterization.- IV Thermal Alteration of Organic Matter and the Formation of Fossil Fuels.- 16 The Thermal Alteration of Kerogen and the Formation of Oil.- 17 Hydrothermal Alteration of Organic Matter in Marine and Terrestrial Systems.- 18 Laboratory Simulation of Petroleum Formation: Hydrous Pyrolysis.- V Applications of Organic Geochemical Researchfor Hydrocarbon Exploration.- 19 Oil-Oil and Oil-Source Rock Correlations: Techniques.- 20 Organic Geochemistry of Estancia Vieja Oils, Rio Negro Norte Block: Correlation with Other Neuquen Basin, Argentina, Oils.- 21 Oil to Source Rock Correlation: Concepts and Case Studies.- 22 The Kinetics of Biomarker Reactions: Implications for the Assessment of the Thermal Maturity of Organic Matter in Sedimentary Basins.- 23 Effect of Biodegradation and Water Washing on Crude Oil Composition.- 24 The Origin and Distribution of Gas Hydrates in Marine Sediments.- VI Organic Matter and Metalliferous Deposits.- 25 The Role of Organic Matter in Ore Transport Processes.- 26 Aspects of the Organic Geochemistry and Petrology of Metalliferous Ores.- 27 Metals in Black Shales.- 28 Trace and Minor Elements in Coal.- VII The Precambrian.- 29 Evolution of the Earth's Atmosphere and Hydrosphere: Hadean to Recent.- 30 The Prebiotic Synthesis of Organic Compounds on the Early Earth.- 31 The Initiation of Biological Processes on Earth: Summary of Empirical Evidence.- 32 Organic Geochemistry of Precambrian Sedimentary Rocks.- 33 The Organic Geochemistry of Carbonaceous Meteorites: Amino Acids and Stable Isotopes.- VIII Applications of Organic Geochemistry for Quaternary Research.- 34 Applications of Biomarkers for Delineating Marine Paleoclimatic Fluctuations during the Pleistocene.- 35 The Diagenesis of Proteins and Amino Acids in Fossil Shells.- 36 Applications of Organic Geochemistry for Quaternary Research: Aminostratigraphy and Aminochronology.- 37 Sources and Cycling of Organic Matter within Modern and Prehistoric Food Webs.- 38 Macromolecules from Living and Fossil Biominerals: Implications forthe Establishment of Molecular Phylogenies.- 39 Immunospecificity of Fossil Proteins: Implications for the Establishment of Evolutionary Trends.- IX Summary.- 40 Postscript.
