Upgrading of petroleum resid, bitumen, shale oil, and other heavy oils by the separation of asphaltenes and/or resins therefrom by electrophilic aromatic substitution

Heavy, high molecular weight multi ring aromatics present in petroleum resid, bitumen and heavy oils in the form of asphaltenes, heavy resids and polycyclic hetero (N) aromatic molecules are separated from the petroleum resid, bitumen and/or heavy oils, by the process comprising electrophilic aromatic substitution of polar groups onto the heavy high molecular weight multi-ring aromatics thereby rendering them insoluble in and facilitating their separation and recovery from the petroleum resid, bitumen and/or heavy oil.