What process would coal undergo to give coal gas, coal tar, ammoniacal liquor and coke?
Answer Details
Coal undergoes a process called destructive distillation to give coal gas, coal tar, ammoniacal liquor, and coke.
Destructive distillation is a process where coal is heated in the absence of air to produce a mixture of gases, liquids, and solids. The process takes advantage of the differences in boiling points between the various components of coal to separate them.
During the process, coal is heated in a closed retort (a type of oven) to temperatures ranging from 500°C to 900°C. This causes the coal to decompose into a mixture of gases, liquids, and solids. The gases produced, including methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, are known as coal gas. The liquids produced, including benzene, toluene, and naphthalene, are known as coal tar. The ammoniacal liquor is produced by the reaction of coal tar with ammonia, while the solid residue is called coke.
The resulting products have different uses, such as coal gas for heating and cooking, coal tar for making chemicals, ammoniacal liquor for making fertilizers, and coke for use in iron and steel production.