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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Selective chemical methods for the study of coal structure: Progress report, June 1, 1987-May 31, 1988

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5178747

Two representative contributions are outlined here to illustrate recent accomplishments. Pure liptinite, vitrinite, and inertinite group maceral fractions from a representative high-volatile A bituminous coal, PSOC 732, have been oxidized with ruthenium(VIII) to produce a broad series of aliphatic carboxylic and benzene carboxylic acids. Chromatographic and mass spectroscopic procedures were used to identify these compounds, and isotope dilution techniques were used to establish the yields of certain key products. The product distributions from the individual macerals differ considerably as shown in the figures of the liptinites and vitrinites from PSOC 732. The differences between the inertinite and vitrinite arise from variations in the concentrations of similar types of aromatic and hydroaromatic structures whereas the liptinites contain other quite different aliphatic substances. The issues concerning the mobile phase of coal have generated considerable recent interest. This problem has been examined in a completely different way using a new selective labeling method to determine whether a paraffinic fragment is covalently bonded or merely physically entrapped. The preliminary results imply that the linear hydrocarbons from PSOC 732 arise in several ways including the release of non-covalently bonded material from the solid matrix, the liberation of covalently single bonded material presumably via processes such as ipso substitution and through multistep degradation reactions from other more structurally complex materials. More experimental work will be necessary to establish whether or not the observations made with this coal are typical of other coals and kerogens. 2 figs.

Research Organization:
Chicago Univ., IL (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-86ER13573
OSTI ID:
5178747
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/13573-1; ON: DE88009591
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English