The Constituents of Low Temperature Tar

Abstract

IN NATURE of Dec. 4, 1926, p. 805, which has only recently come to my knowledge, I find a notice by Messrs. G. T. Morgan and D. D. Pratt which interests me greatly, because it contains a confirmation of an observation which I made and published some years ago (Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, 39, 1238 ; 1906). It concerns the occurrence of β-methylanthracene in low temperature tars from certain coals. I have already demonstrated this for three poor (‘magere’) coals, that is, geologically old Westphalian coals, with a coke content of 82 percent.—at the same time the yellow hydrocarbon, crackene, was isolated—and it may well be supposed that the coal employed by Messrs. Morgan and Pratt displays a similar character. That β-metbylanthracene is indeed concerned, I have already proved in a similar manner to Morgan and Pratt by the oxidation product of the hydrocarbon. More recently I have arrived at this proof by another way (Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Oesellschaft, 59, 2812; 1926),¹ which, however, leads to the same result, namely, the preparation of a double compound of the hydrocarbon with β-dinitroanthraquinone (Fritzsche's Reagent).