Patent ID: 8242062

Claim:
A method of determining the authenticity in a petroleum product comprising: (a) selecting a petroleum product; (b) analyzing the petroleum product using an ion mobility spectroscopy technique to determine whether the petroleum product comprises a chemical marker, wherein (i) the chemical marker has the general formula RCAR′, (ii) the R component is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, olefin, aryl, and heterocycle groups and hydrogen, (iii) the R′ component is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, olefin, aryl, and heterocycle groups and hydrogen, (iv) the A component is selected from the group consisting of ketones, alcohol, amines, cyano, sulfate, nitrile, nitrate, halogen, organic acid, mercaptan, aldehyde, formyl, thiocyano, and isothiocyano, and (v) the boiling point range of the chemical marker is within the boiling point range of the petroleum product; and (c) authenticating the petroleum product by the presence of the chemical marker.