A study has been made of the influence of the chemical structure and nature of the solvents on the extraction of vanadyl porphyrins from petroleum asphaltenes. Various oxygen-containing solvents and their bifunctional derivatives have been investigated as extractants. It was established that the highest degree of extraction of vanadyl porphyrins from asphaltenes is achieved by using ketones and diketones. It was shown that the dissolving power of the extractants investigated depends not only on their nature, but also on the extraction conditions. The highest degree of extraction of vanadyl porphyrins from asphaltenes of Ashal＇ chinsk crude oil was 74%.