Separation and identification of organic compounds from thermally dissolved Shengli lignite in a methanol/benzene mixed solvent

Abstract

Thermal dissolution of Shengli lignite was conducted in a methanol/benzene mixed solvent at 240oC for 1 h. The soluble fraction was sequentially eluted with petroleum ether (PE) and carbon disulfide (CDS)/ PE mixed solvents with increased CDS to PE ratio through a silica gel-packed column. A series of normal alkanes, polycyclic aromatics, methyl alkanoates, alkanoic acids, and fatty acid amides were enriched to large extents and 6-hydroxy-7-isopropyl-1,1,4a-trimethyl-2,3,4,4a,10, 10a-hexahydrophenanthren-9(1H)-one was successfully separated with high purity by the column chromatography.