REDUCTIVE ALKYLATION OF NEYVELI LIGNITE

The reductive alkylation was carried out with - 20RL, - 30RL and - 36R L Neyveli lignite samples emplying methyl iodide, ethyl iodide, propyl iodide, butyl chloride and octyl iodide as alkylating agents. The ext ractability of raw lignites and that of reductively alkylated lignites was determined in a number of solvents. In the case of reductively al kylated lignites the extractability is high. The extractability change s with the alkyl halides employed. Thermogravimetric analyses carried out on raw lignite and reductively alkylated lignites show that the re ductively alkylated lignites are thermally quite stable. The IR and th e H-1 NMR spectra of some of the products of alkylation are recorded. The distribution of hydrogen atoms in reductively alkylated lignites h as been quantitatively determined. Using Brown-Ladner relations some i mportant structural parameters such as aromaticity, degree of aromatic substitution, the hydrogen to carbon ratio of the hypothetical unsubs tituted aromatic material are calculated.