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U.S. Department of Energy
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Towards a methodology for breaking carbon-carbon bonds in coal macromolecules. Final report, January 1, 1985-December 31, 1987

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5433726

Heats of heterolysis were determined at 25 C for C-C, C-O, C-N and C-S bonds to form a variety of resonance-stabilized carbocations, carbanions, oxyanions, nitranions, and thiophenolate anions. The product ions were chosen to be reasonable models for those that would result from low-temperature heterolysis of coal macro-molecular units. There are few if any prior reports of bond heterolysis energies in solution and the study of nearly two hundred calorimetric values can serve as a guide for the rational development of heterolysis processes. Furthermore, an approach using several master equations provides the means for estimating heterolysis energies from readily available values for the stabilities of the product ions. The relationship between heterolysis energies and the more-familiar homolysis energies is determined primarily by the redox potentials of the ions. An all-organic battery was developed which generates a current from the contact of carbocation and carbanion solutions in an electrolytic cell. This provides further significant evidence for electron-transfer interactions between these types of ions in solution.

Research Organization:
Duke Univ., Durham, NC (USA). Dept. of Chemistry
OSTI ID:
5433726
Report Number(s):
PB-88-178645/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English