Coal stock, conversion

There is ample evidence in the literature for conversion of reactive hydrocarbons to carbonyl compounds by autoxidation. In coals, the final products of autoxidation under the conditions used in the present study could be a mixture of carbonyl and carboxylic acid surface groups. Under mild oxidation conditions, a different set of functional groups such as ethers as proposed by Liotta et al. or epoxides as suggested in Scheme V could be formed. There are numerous examples of alkoxy radicals rearranging to epoxides . Choi and Stock have shown that ethers can be produced from benzhydrol structures, which are invoked as intermediates in Scheme IV. At higher temperatures, the epoxides and ethers are unstable and may rearrange to carbonyl compounds. 

In the future, there is no doubt that alcohols will play a major role not only as fuel components (70,71) but also as feed stocks for the syntheses of more complicated organic compounds (72). A great amount of research effort is presently directed to the economic conversion of CO and to methanol (73), and on homologation of methanol to higher alcohols (74). Conversion of synthesis gas from coal to acetic anhydride (75) through the intermediacy of methyl acetate (from methanol) will soon be a commercial reality. 

Development of a Process for the Conversion of Coal to Catalytic-Cracking Charge Stock... 

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