The use of stable sulfur isotope ratio analysis to assess selectivity of chemical analyses and extractions of forms of sulfur in coal

Abstract

Natural variation in the abundance of sulfur isotopes has been used to characterize the different forms of sulfur in four Illinois basin coals. Isotopic determinations have been made on the sulfur yields from various extraction procedures. These enable the extent to which extractions mix sulfur from different forms to be estimated. The results show that the standard ASTM methods routinely used may not be selective for the chemical forms of sulfur they purport to analyse.