Carbon-atomic hydrogen discharge reaction

Molecular approach to understanding residuum conversion

“…Although there is ample precedent for the ipso addition of hydrogen, the sequence suggested in Figure 10 which results in the decomposition of condensed aromatic rings is less wellknown. The reaction between hydrogen atoms, generated in a microwave or electrical discharge, and coal has been reported to give both gases and distillate (Amano et al, 1984(Amano et al, ,1985Wong et al, 1986;Gesser and Czubryt, 1988) although the types of molecules which were undergoing decomposition was not determined. Amano et al (1984) suggest that the liquefaction of coal with hydrogen atoms proceeds by first stripping aromatics from the surface of the coal followed by exhaustive hydrogenation of the aromatic moieties.…”