Low-rank coal structure elucidation with ruthenium tetroxide

Conference · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Gas Fuel Chem., Prepr.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5519249

Olson, E S; Diehl, J W; Froehlich, M L; Miller, D J

The goal of these studies was to elucidate the structural features of coals which are believed to be important in conversion processes. Of special interest are the nature of the hydroaromatic groups and the bridging groups between aromatic moieties, because of their roles in thermal cleavage and depolymerization processes and the hydrogen shuttling which occurs during the depolymerization and stabilization of cleavage products. The first objective was the development of new methods for the isolation or solubilization of the aliphatic groups in the coal, which may then be related to these hydroaromatic systems and bridging groups. We have successfully used ruthenium tetroxide in a two phase solvent system with a phase transfer catalyst to selectively oxidize the aromatic groups. Stock has used ruthenium tetroxide in the presence of acetonitrile to oxidize a Texas lignite and Illinois No. 6 coal. These procedures are a more viable alternative than the use of trifluoroperacetic acid which was used in earlier studies by Deno and whose difficulties have been pointed out elsewhere. The oxidation of a North Dakota lignite with ruthenium tetroxide with the phase transfer catalyst proceeded rapidly at ambient temperature giving carbon dioxide and carboxylic acid products which are converted to methyl esters by diazomethane for qualitative analysis using GC and GC/MS. A very complex mixture of aliphatic mono and polycarboxylic acids and aromatic polycarboxylic acids was formed in the reaction. In contrast to the trifluoroperacetic acid studies, no oxiranepolycarboxylic acids were found. Keto acids were also found to be absent. An iron trap mass spectrometer was found to be useful in these analyses since an M+1 peak was found for many of the esters which normally do not exhibit any molecular ion.

• Research Organization: Univ. of North Dakota, Energy Research Center, Box 8213, Univ. Station, Grand Forks, ND
• OSTI ID: 5519249
• Report Number(s): CONF-860425-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Gas Fuel Chem., Prepr.; (United States) Journal Volume: 31:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010600* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Properties & Composition
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400102 -- Chemical & Spectral Procedures
ACETONITRILE
ALKANES
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
AROMATICS
BROWN COAL
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CATALYSTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COAL
COAL RANK
DECOMPOSITION
DEPOLYMERIZATION
DERIVATIZATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ESTERS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN TRANSFER
LIGNITE
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MATERIALS
METHANE
METHYLATION
NITRILES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS
RUTHENIUM OXIDES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENTS
SPECTROSCOPY
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
YIELDS