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Difficulty: EasyCarbon: Allotropes, Coal Distillation, and Industrial Fuel Gases

During the industrial processing of coal by destructive distillation in the absence of air, several products are obtained. Which of the following substances is recovered as the solid residue remaining in the retort?

  1. CokeAnswer
  2. B
    Coal tar
  3. C
    Ammoniacal liquor
  4. D
    Coal gas

Answer

Coke is the solid residue obtained from the destructive distillation of coal.
Destructive distillation involves heating coal in an airtight retort at high temperatures. Volatile compounds escape as vapors and are condensed into liquid coal tar, ammoniacal liquor, and uncondensed coal gas. The non-volatile, porous carbonaceous residue that remains inside the retort is coke.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the conditions of destructive distillation of coal.
Coal is heated strongly in the absence of air to prevent combustion and break down complex organic compounds into volatile and non-volatile fractions.
Thermal decomposition drives off gaseous and liquid vapors while leaving fixed carbon behind.
2
Classify the resulting products by their physical states.
Coal gas is gaseous, coal tar and ammoniacal liquor condense into liquids, and coke remains as a solid in the retort.
Non-volatile elemental carbon stays behind as coke, whereas volatile components vaporize.

Key Concept

Products of coal destructive distillation
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Topics

Carbon: Allotropes, Coal Distillation, and Industrial Fuel Gases

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