Novel method for controlled oxidation

The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel method for the oxidative degradation of coal or other organic material. The procedure is potentially useful for structure determination. As originally conceived, this method was intended for use with aqueous potassium permanganate as oxidant, but it is equally applicable with other oxidizing agents. Sodium hyprochlorite can be substituted for KMnO/sub 4/ except that controlling the pH and monitoring the end pilot become more difficult. Results with potassium permanganate only are described here but sodium hypochlorite was tried. An advantageous feature of the method is the simultaneous removal of soluble products from further contact with oxidizing agent as the oxidizing agent attacks the substrate. In principle, the experimental approach resembles that of column chromatography. Any oxidative degradation of a natural product for structure determination is of little use if carried out too far; for example, to the smallest, most oxidation-resistant materials such as carbon dioxide, acetic acid, and benzoic acid. Potassium permanganate oxidations of reactive species such as coal and kerogen are particularly difficult to control. Partially oxidized fragments which go into solution can be attacked more effectively than the solid starting phase, a situation which results in loss of structural information. Another difficulty is that phenolic materials can undergo coupling reactions thus generating larger molecules and giving misleading results due to a larger number of substituents. The procedure used is described.