A shale fuel of marginal stability has been used as a source of nitrogen-rich polar extracts. Polar compounds were isolated by mild acid extraction followed by silica gel adsorption and were identified by GC/HS. Alkyl substituted pyridines were the prevalent class of compounds present in most extracts. The effects of adding these shale derived fractions as dopants to a stable shale diesel fuel (0-11) were examined in terms of sediment formation and peroxide number under accelerated storage stability test conditions. The activities of the extracts in inducing fuel instability were correlated with their composition.