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U.S. Department of Energy
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Studies of metal ammonia interactions with aromatic substrates

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6223792

Dissolving metal reduction and reductive alkylation reactions are important to coal chemistry, since they promote the solubilization and depolymerization of coal. Solubilization is important to liquefaction, as well as to the characterization of coal structure, since the soluble fractions can be analyzed spectroscopically. This research program has focussed on a better understanding of the reduction pathway using polynuclear aromatics (PAs) as model compounds. Accomplishments in the last three years include reduction studies of polynuclear aromatics separated by (1) inactive spacers (methylene groups), or (2) active spacers (benzene rings). In the first category, we studied the reduction of dinaphthylethanes in ether and ammonia solvents, and have learned that cleavage of the ethane bridge only occurs at higher temperatures regardless of solvent. In the second case, we investigated a number of dinaphthylbenzenes and found that, unlike the related terphenyls, these compounds show no propensity for inner ring reduction. A second area of research is concerned with the conformational analysis of hydroaromatic compounds. We have concluded two studies providing structural information about 9,10-dihydroanthracenes using nuclear magnetic resonance and theoretical calculations. Additional studies not yet concluded involve anion structure on mono- and dianions derived from PAs. This includes preferred conformations, ion triplets and solvation. 4 refs.

Research Organization:
Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ., Indianapolis, IN (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/ER
DOE Contract Number:
FG02-85ER13327
OSTI ID:
6223792
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/13327-T2; ON: DE91008146
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English