| Analysis of coal by mass spectrometry (MS) can reveal molecular characteristics about its composition and geological source. Current methods for sample preparation for MS analysis require extraction of volatile analytes from coal that takes up to 72 hours. Development of a faster way to extract volatile matter from coal is crucial for rapid and high throughput MS analysis. In this dissertation work, a research grade microwave oven with pressure and temperature sensors is used to quickly extract low MW analytes from coal. With this approach, sample preparation time is decreased from 72 hours down to 4 hours, while keeping the coal in a closed system to decrease losses of volatile analytes. Coal is also analyzed using a Direct Insertion Probe (DIP) to obtain mass spectral fingerprint for coal samples. These fingerprints can be used for coal differentiation or as a means to perform broad-spectrum analysis of coal. |
