The Pyrolysis of 1-Phenyltetralin

Abstract

The pyrolysis of 1-phenyltetralin at 700 °C has been investigated, and mechanisms are advanced for the formation of the compounds found in the pyrolysate. For comparison, tetralin and hydrindene were pyrolysed at 700 °C under the same conditions as the 1-phenyltetralin. The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coal tar may be due to the thermal breakdown both of hydroaromatic and of aliphatic structures in the parent coal.