Organic constituents of sapropelitic coal: recovery by high-temperature alkaline hydrolysis and characterization

Aliphatic carboxylic acids of normal structure were obtained in high yields by high-temperature alkaline (HTA) hydrolysis of three Siberian sapropelitic coals. The carboxylic acids and other oxygen-containing components of the hydrolysates were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the relevance of the results to the molecular structure of the coals was considered. The same types of oxygen-containing components were present in the alkaline hydrolysates of each coal. The major portion of these components was formed during the HTA hydrolysis.