M. Voigtmann, Kezhan Yang, B. Batts
Dec 1, 1994
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Abstract
Abstract All isomers of methylphenanthrene are formed when phenanthrene is reacted with methane and/or long chain n -alkanes in the presence of coals or kaolinite in closed steel reactors in the range 230–360 °C. In particular, the 3-methylphenanthrene isomer, for which a convincing degradative precursor-controlled source has not been described, becomes increasingly prominent at higher experimental temperature due to the 4 → 3 methyl shift promoted by steric interaction at the 4- and 5-positions. Therefore, a geosynthetic origin for the high concentrations of 3-methylphenanthrene in mature carbonaceous sediments is indicated. Furthermore, in a broader sense, the data demonstrate the need to consider synthetic, in addition to degradative, reactions in maturational processes in sediments.