Abstract:Sorption of soluble organic matter(OM)to clay minerals occurs ubiquitously in sediments and sedimentary rocks.Soluble and insoluble OM associate with clay minerals closely in hydrocarbon source rocks,and the former holds the great proportion.The formation of soluble OMclay complexes runs through out the whole process of aggregation,deposition,preservation and diagenesis,and may be one important nature parent material of hydrocarbon.Soluble OM occurs in the micropores and on the external and internal surface of clay minerals,forming organoclay complexes via multiple interaction mechanism,which is quite different from insoluble macromolecularkerogen.The amounts of soluble OM by various organic solvent extractions are different,and its emergence and amounts vary with types and nature of the clay minerals,showing a rather complicated associations of soluble OM with clay minerals in hydrocarbon source rocks.Study from soluble OMclay interaction,therefore,explores a new way for hydrocarbon source rocks research,which has a great significance in the study of mechanism of hydrocarbon generation and calculation of oil and gas resource extent.