Retrograde reactions in coal processing: The behavior of ether and sulfide model compounds
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States). Chemical and Analytical Sciences Div.
Retrograde reactions that produce more refractory molecular structures are undesirable in coal liquefaction. The authors previously found that restricted mass transport, induced by immobilization on a silica support, promotes retrograde reactions for 1,2-diphenylethane (C{sub 6}H{sub 5}CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 5}) by both skeletal rearrangement and ring growth (cyclization-dehydrogenation) pathways involving free-radical intermediates. They are now examining the influence of heteroatoms on the retrograde pathways for the corresponding surface-immobilized ether (C{sub 6}H{sub 5}OCH{sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 5}) and sulfide (C{sub 6}H{sub 5}SCH{sub 2}C{sub 6}H{sub 5}) model compounds at 275--350 C. Cyclization-dehydrogenation pathways are not detected for either model compound. However, retrograde skeletal rearrangements involving 1,2-phenyl shifts in C{sub 6}H{sub 5}XCH{center_dot}C{sub 6}H{sub 5} (X = O,S) are found to be significant under restricted diffusion, and for X = O, radical coupling at ring carbons to form benzylphenols is also observed as a major pathway. For surface-immobilized benzyl phenyl ether, the two retrograde processes account for ca. 50% of the thermolysis products, and also generate reactive hydroxyl and keto functionalities that can be involved in additional retrograde reactions.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 515506
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970942-1; ON: DE97005151; TRN: AHC29718%%20
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. international conference on coal science (ICCS-9) and exhibition, Essen (Germany), 7 Sep 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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