Spin-mapping of coal structures with ESE and ENDOR

The goals of this program include developing a system for the analysis of the chemical forms of organic sulfur in coal and for study of coal particle surfaces by multifrequency EPR spectroscopy, ENDOR, and ESE spectroscopy and Applying it to coals, to the effects of treatment upon their sulfur-containing organic components, and to related carbonaceous materials (chars and the like). The approach is to utilize the naturally-occurring unpaired electrons in the organic structures of coals as spies to provide molecular structure information, reading out the information with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Several forms of EPR are employed: Multifrequency continuous-wave (CW) EPR, from 1 GHz to 240 GHz source frequency; electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), in which NMR spectra at paramagnetic centers are obtained by EPR detection; and pulsed EPR, including ESE (Electron Spin Echo) spectroscopy.