Polymeric structure of coal. 3. Re-examination of the role of ether bonds in reduction of molecular weight of a low-rank vitrinite treated with hydrogen donor
✍ Scribed by Dennis W. Carson; Boleslaw S. Ignasiak
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1980
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 582 KB
- Volume
- 59
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0016-2361
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✦ Synopsis
Although available literature does not unequivocally establish the presence of open ether bonds (R-O-R) in low-rank bituminous coals, formation of low-molecular-weight products on reacting such coals with hydrogen donors is usually interpreted in terms of scission of ether bridges. This lack of consistency could be justified by supposing that ethereal and hydroxyl functions in low-rank coals exist in phenoxyphenol-type structures. Ethers of this type have never been cleaved on treatment with sodium in liquid ammonia but, contrary to expectations based on extant literature, can be split by certain hydrogen donors. The results presented here indicate, however, that phenoxyphenol-type ethers do not exist in low-rankvitrinite and/ortheircleavagedoes not result in lowering the molecular weight of the vitrinite. It is concluded that, unless non-reactive oxygen exists in low-rank vitrinite in dialkyl ether structures, formation of low-molecular-weight products on hydrogen donor treatment should be attributed mainly to C-C bond cleavage.