The products of the oxidation of Moscow basin boghead

The boghead of the Moscow brown-coal basin is destroyed almost completely with the formation of volatile and alkali-soluble products on oxidation by atmospheric oxygen in an aqueous alkaline medium. After separation according to solubility in water and esterification, the products were investigated by gas-liquid chromatography. Among the water-soluble products, the C/sub 2/-C/sub 11/ normal dicarboxylic acids, ..gamma..-butyrolactone and pyruvic, ..cap alpha..-ketoglutaric, ..cap alpha..-methoxyadipic, phthalic, and benzenetricarboxylic acids were identified. The C/sub 8/-C/sub 25/ normal monocarboxylic and C/sub 10/-C/sub 21/ normal dicarboxylic acids were detected in the water-soluble fraction.