Coalification of cuticle and compressed leaf tissue of the Carboniferous seed fern, Macroneuropteris (Neuropteris) scheuchzeri--Implications for coalification to the bituminous coal stage

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5818291

Lyons, P C; Orem, W H ^[1]; Zodrow, E L ^[2]

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1. Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States). National Center
2. Univ. Coll. of Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia (Canada)

C-13 NMR analyses of leaf cuticle and the compressed and coalified leaf tissues of the late Carboniferous seed fern Macroneuropteris (Neuropteris) scheuchzeri from shale from the Sydney Mines Formation, Sydney Coalfield, Nova Scotia, Canada, indicate a variable degree of coalification. In preliminary NMR spectra the cuticle shows a dominantly aliphatic region and a subdued aromatic region, whereas the compressed leaf tissues show two subequal aromatic and aliphatic regions, which are typical of high volatile bituminous coals. The spectrum of the cuticle shows some indication of resonance in the 60- to 80-ppm region, possibly indicating the presence of residual cellulose that is found in lignite and subbituminous coal, but not in bituminous coal. The compressed tissues show an indication of a shoulder in the 150- to 160-ppm region, possibly phenolic moieties from lignin, which is found in high volatile bituminous coals. Leaf tissue is thought to be rich in cellulose and poor in lignin, so it is surprising that the C-13 NMR spectrum of the compressed leaf tissue appears identical to spectra from vitrinite-rich, high volatile bituminous coal. These results indicate that the nature of plant precursors plays a significant role in coalification and also that the selective loss of cellulosic components and the attendant enrichment in lignin are not necessarily a precondition for the generation of the macromolecular structure of bituminous coal. The authors suggest that dominantly cellulose-based molecules from leaf tissue coalify in much the same way as lignin-based molecules from woody tissue.

• OSTI ID: 5818291
• Report Number(s): CONF-921058-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 24:7; Conference: 1992 annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Cincinnati, OH (United States), 26-29 Oct 1992; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
COAL DEPOSITS
COALIFICATION
FERNS
NOVA SCOTIA
PLANT TISSUES
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CARBON 13
NMR SPECTRA
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
BODY
CANADA
CARBON ISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
PLANTS
RESONANCE
RESOURCES
SPECTRA
STABLE ISOTOPES
TISSUES
011000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
010600 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Properties & Composition