Separation and analysis of the degradation products of two coals in aqueous NaOCl solution

Two coals were oxidized with aqueous NaOCl solution under mild conditions. The reaction mixture acidified was sequentially extracted with ethoxyethane, CS₂, petroleum ether, acetic ester and benzene, followed esterification by CH₂N₂ and analysis with GC/MS. The results show that chloro-substituted compounds, aliphatic acids and aromatic polycarboxylic acids are main products. The oxidative product was sequentially extracted with different polar solvents and achieved a simple group separation. Effective separation and analysis of oxidation products of coal in aqueous NaOCl solution, established by the study, provides a feasible method for high value-added use of coal.