Consists of contributions from the Institute of Zoology, Institute of Botany, and the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the College of Science.

The science of organic Geochemistry bridges the gap between living and fossil organisms. It is concerned with the processes by which organic material changes after death, during sediment burial, diagenesis and maturation, to produce gas, liquid petroleum and coal. It is equally concerned with the way in which organic matter of geological origin enters the biosphere and interacts with living organisms. Applications of organic geochemistry to the petroleum industry include exploration (developing the ability to predict the occurrence of petroleum within a sedimentary basin) and production (predicting the response of reservoir rocks to interaction with organic-rich pore fluids) as well as in fingerprinting oil spills.

Advances in Organic Geochemistry documents the proceedings of the First International Meeting of the European Branch of the Organic Geochemistry Group held in Milan on September 10-12, 1962. This compilation discusses research and review problems relating to the geochemistry of organic materials in the earth's crust, such as petroleum and coal, as well as less highly concentrated, but more widespread, organic matter present in various rocks, soils, and waters. Other topics covered include duplex origins of petroleum; chemical study of coal macerals; mineralized micro-structures in carbonaceous meteorites; primary investigation of the oleiferous dolerite of Dyvika; and organic residues in Jurassic oolitic limestones. Geochemical aspects of the microbial modification of carbon compounds; trace metal analysis of oils and asphalts by neutron activation techniques; and application of ultraviolet spectroscopy to the examination of dissolved organic substances in water are also deliberated in this text. This publication is beneficial to students and individuals conducting work on organic geochemistry.

Photoinduced processes, caused by natural sunlight, are key functions for sustaining all living organisms through production and transformation of organic matter (OM) in the biosphere. Production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from OM is a primary step of photoinduced processes, because H2O2 acts as strong reductant and oxidant. It is potentially important in many aquatic reactions, also in association with photosynthesis. Allochthonous and autochthonous dissolved organic matter (DOM) can be involved into several photoinduced or biological processes. DOM subsequently undergoes several physical, chemical, photoinduced and biological processes, which can be affected by global warming. This book is uniquely structured to overview some vital issues, such as: DOM; H2O2 and ROOH; HO•; Degradation of DOM; CDOM, FDOM; Photosynthesis; Chlorophyll; Metal complexation, and Global warming, as well as their mutual interrelationships, based on updated scientific results.