Identification of phenyl-substituted polycyclic aromatic compounds in ring furnace gases using GC-MS and GC-AED

Summary The ring furnace baking process is an intermediate step in the production of graphite electrodes. In this process coal tar pitch is pyrolized to form amorphous carbon and volatile aromatic and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). These gaseous ring furnace emissions were analysed by GC-MS and GC-AED. As a result of the pyrolytic reactions taking place, several phenyl-substituted PACs are generated, which were identified by their chromatographic retention indices and mass spectra. Pure reference compounds were analysed for verification if available. A number of phenyl-PACs are reported to be present in coal tar-related material, including phenylpyridines and phenyldibenzofurans previously unreported. A formation scheme for phenyl-dibenzofurans on the basis of a radical mechanism is proposed. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Meyer zu Reckendorf, Münster, on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996