Advanced topics in marine geochemistry

The marine organic geochemistiy component of chemical oceanography involves the study of ocean systems via analysis of non-living organic substances at the suh-micron size scale (e.g. molecules, atoms and nuclei). As in the field of chemistry, this is a separate branch of marine chemistry because of the complexity of compounds that are studied and the distinct nature of the anal5dical methods used. Organic compounds are important to a wide variety of processes that control marine and environmental chemistiy. For example, approximately half of net photosynthetic production in the sea 

Formula Number of isomers Formula Number of isomers 

At another level of diversity within the structural framework are the multiple isotopes of many of the elements (except P) that make up organic compounds ( H, H, H, 

Hydrocarbons are classified by whether their carbon structure includes rings, multiple bonds, or branches. Classification of hydrocarbon structural families is shown here with the chemical formula. Structures are shown as Kekule (also called line-bond) and skeletal structures. 

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