Analysis of Organic Compounds Trapped in Coal, and Coal Oxidation Products

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the techniques applied to a variety of problems and used for the study of coals and coal products. Mass spectrometry (MS) is an exceedingly useful analytical tool for the organic chemist. The chapter presents the analysis of trapped organic compounds in coals and pyrolysis products analysis of oxidation products. The identification of the aromatic units indigenous to the coal macromolecules obtained by these selective oxidative degradations is an important step in elucidation of the structures of coals. This information is very useful for understanding the chemistry in coal conversion processes and in the search for new methods for converting coal. The chapter also discusses the determination of aromaticity of coal by fluorination.