Inorganic elemental variations

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical interpretation of coal inorganic elemental data in the literature. Several valuable compilations of elemental data exist for U.S. coal (1-4). We have borrowed freely from these compilations to illustrate their value in elucidating just one aspect of coal geochemistry the factors influencing inorganic elemental variations. 

It is hoped that this paper will encourage more detailed study of factors influencing inorganic element variations in coals. Acknowledgment... 

A nonionic, non-volatile photoactive acid generator, 2,6-dinitrobenzyl tosylate has been recently reported and shown to be effective in chemically amplified resist systems (10). This ester is a nonionic compound that has a much wider range of solubility in matrix polymers and does not contain undesirable inorganic elements. While it is known to exhibit a lower sensitivity to irradiation than the onium salt materials, many structural variations can be produced to precisely vary the acid properties of the molecule and to control the diffusion of the AG in the polymer matrix (11). 

Geological studies of the distribution (or variation) of mineral matter in a local area, such as a large mine, as well as regionally over the extent of a commercial seam, enable useful predictions of the concentrations of some inorganic elements important to coal quality. Geological processes that formed the seam operated over extensive areas therefore, patterns of elemental distribution enable quality parameters of the coal bed to be predicted in some unexplored areas (5,19-24). 

This general review of factors influencing major, minor, and trace element variations in U.S. coals provides an interpretation of coal inorganic elemental data found in the literature. Variations due to ash-related, rank-related, geochemical, and geological factors are discussed. 

Inorganic element concentrations in coal show variations from a microscopic to a worldwide scale. From a resource evaluation perspective, the most significant variations occur within and between coal seams and basins. The rest of the paper will discuss factors that cause these variations. 

Ash Related Variations. The amount of ash in a coal is a major factor influencing inorganic element content. In general, trace element concentrations increase as ash content increases. This relationship reflects the fact that most inorganic elements in coal are associated with minerals (7). Figures 1 and 2 illustrate this relationship for K in eastern Kentucky coals and for Ti in coals from the Uinta Region in Colorado. 

Variations Due to Geochemical Factors. Geochemical factors, such as Eh and pH of the peat environment, as well as the environment during and subsequent to coal formation, can have dramatic effects on inorganic element content. The effect of these geochemical... 

Direct determination of inorganic elements associated with macerals and lithotypes was based on an electron microprobe study of coal microcomponents (3 ) using energy dispersive x-ray analysis to determine the presence of elements and their ratios as well as variation at three locations in the Beulah-Zap seam. 

It is clear from the table that there is considerable variation between units not only in the quality of the deposit, but also the extent of the problems as far as satisfactory operation is concerned. In the same report Coggins provided some data on the composition of the deposits taken from naphtha vaporisers (see Table 11.5). The main constituents of the ash appeared to be iron, sulphur and lead together with many other inorganic elements and compounds including vanadium and sulphur. 

Hou, X. and Yan, X. (1998). Study on the concentration and seasonal variation of inorganic elements in 35 species of marine algae. Sci. Total Environ. 222,141-156. 

For organometailic compounds, the situation becomes even more complicated because the presence of elements such as platinum, iron, and copper introduces more complex isotopic patterns. In a very general sense, for inorganic chemistry, as atomic number increases, the number of isotopes occurring naturally for any one element can increase considerably. An element of small atomic number, lithium, has only two natural isotopes, but tin has ten, xenon has nine, and mercury has seven isotopes. This general phenomenon should be approached with caution because, for example, yttrium of atomic mass 89 is monoisotopic, and iridium has just two natural isotopes at masses 191 and 193. Nevertheless, the occurrence and variation in patterns of multi-isotopic elements often make their mass spectrometric identification easy, as depicted for the cases of dimethylmercury and dimethylplatinum in Figure 47.4. 

For Further Reading J. J. R. Frausto da Silva and R. J. P. Williams, The Biological Chemistry of the Elements The Inorganic Chemistry of Life (Oxford Oxford University Press, 1991). M. F.. Wastney, W. A. House, R. M. Barnes, and K. N. S. Subramanian, "Kinetics of zinc metabolism variation with diet, genetics and disease, Journal of Nutrition, vol. 130, 2000, pp. 1355S-1359S. 

This chapter concerns the fields that use inorganic mass spectrometry to investigate the composition and evolution of matter in the universe and in the solar system. Cosmochemistry is related to nuclear astrophysics, because almost all the chemical elements were synthesized by nuclear reactions in the interior of stars.1 Mass spectrometric analyses of elemental composition, the distribution and variation of isotope abundances are very helpful, especially for cosmochronological studies, in order to explain the formation, history and evolution of stars in our universe and to understand the chemical and nuclear processes. 

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