skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: High temperature reactions of bibenzyl with elemental sulfur and hydrogen sulfide in the presence and absence of hydrogen and carbon monoxide

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7150328

High temperature reactions were done with bibenzyl and related compounds to study C-C bond cleavage under coal liquefaction conditions. Reactions were run in 12-ml stainless steel, 3.7-ml glass and 8.0-ml aluminum autoclaves. The range of temperatures studied was 250-515/sup 0/C and that of pressure was 0-1800 psi (initial). Mechanisms for the cleavage of the aromatic-aliphatic C-C bonds (..cap alpha..-cleavage) and the aliphatic-aliphatic C-C bond (..beta..-cleavage) have been postulated. The two sets of conditions studied were: (1) those which included some form of sulfur, and those which excluded sulfur. With H/sub 2/S present, the ..beta..-cleavage to toluene was extensively promoted. The rate of this reaction was dependent on the parameters of temperature, time, H/sub 2/D concentration, and reaction surface. This ..beta..-cleavage is postulated to occur by the decomposition of the ..cap alpha..-sulfenyl bibenzyl radical. Thermal decomposition of the ..cap alpha..-sulfenyl bibenzyl radical by a known ..beta..-scission reaction yields thiobenzaldehyde and a benzyl radical which are reduced to toluene or polymerized to high molecular weight products. With molecular hydrogen present, the ..cap alpha..-cleavage to benzene and ethylbenzene is promoted. The presence of H/sub 2/S in the bibenzyl-H/sub 2/ reaction was shown to decrease the yield of ..cap alpha..-products while enhancing the conversion to 1,1-diphenylethane. The rate of ..cap alpha..-cleavage was low under essentially non-reducing conditions in this study; i.e., argon, CO-H/sub 2/O, CO-H/sub 2/O-H/sub 2/S. In this study, the mixture of carbon monoxide and water with and without hydrogen sulfide was found to be essentially non-reducing.

Research Organization:
North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks (USA)
OSTI ID:
7150328
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Thermolysis of bibenzyl: roles of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide
Journal Article · Fri May 31 00:00:00 EDT 1985 · J. Org. Chem.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7150328

Thermolysis of model compounds for coal. 3. Radical chain decomposition of 1,3-diphenylpropane and 1,4-diphenylbutane
Journal Article · Fri Dec 03 00:00:00 EST 1982 · J. Org. Chem.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7150328

Enhancement of free-radical chain rearrangement, cyclization, and hydrogenolysis during thermolysis of surface-immobilized bibenzyl: implications for coal chemistry
Journal Article · Wed Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 1986 · J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (United States) · OSTI ID:7150328