STUDIES IN THE CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COAL - REDUCTION VIA SOLVATED ELECTRONS

Solvated electrons prepared by dissolution of alkali metals in ethers can be transferred to coal. Subsequent hydrolysis with a mild proton donor yields coal derivatives which are up to 85% extractible by pyridine and have a H C-ratio of ≤ 1.4. Analytical investigation of these soluble coal derivatives, which have not been treated thermally and are more or less free of solvent addition products, gives an insight into the structure of the 'coal molecule'. Quantitative i.r. analysis showed that part of the hydrogen taken up was involved in cleaving aliphatic bridges to give methyl groups. The rest of the hydrogen had probably been taken up in a Birch-Hückel type reduction. © 1979.