Hydrogenolysis products of pyridine extract of a Japanese lignite

Petroleum ether insoluble fractions of a pyridine extract of a Japanese lignite were pyrolysed with tetralin. The chain length of alkyl groups bonded to aromatic rings and the average chemical structure of aromatic compounds in the lignite were obtained from analyses of hydrogenolysis products. Gas Chromatographic analyses of fractions eluted by cyclohexane showed the presence of C₁₅ to C₃₄ straight-chain alkanes. The chemical structures of the other fractions were analysed quantitatively by a combination of ¹³C and ¹H n.m.r. The unit structure of petroleum ether insoluble fractions in the lignite consists of one to three aromatic rings with straight-chain alkyl groups, some of which are about 25–30 carbon atoms long.