This is a retrospective review of existing knowledge and major research areas related to the structure of asphaltenes and their applicability in petroleum and organic geochemistry. The paper emphasizes the great potential of the current analytic base for further research into the structural elements, functional groups, and intermolecular interaction mechanisms of asphaltenes from crude oils, natural bitumens, and sedimentary rock extracts. The principal methods for investigating the composition and structure of asphaltenes are described from the perspective of solving the pressing challenges of organic geochemistry. Geochemical interpretation of the chemical and supramolecular structures of asphaltenes provides valuable information in addition to the data on the structural elements of asphaltenes and their binding modes. Accumulation of relevant data on the molecular and supramolecular structures of asphaltenes is of considerable importance for a deeper understanding of their behaviors and for unraveling the correlations between crude oils and precursor sedimentary organic matter.
