PYROLYSIS/GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY OF A SERIES OF BURIED WOODS AND COALIFIED LOGS THAT INCREASE IN RANK FROM PEAT TO SUBBITUMINOUS COAL.

To better understand the coalification process, we have conducted numerous studies of the chemical structural composition of xylem tissue from gymosperm wood and related woods that has been coalified to varying degrees. The studies presented here, examine the chemical nature of buried and coalified xylem tissue at the molecular level. To achieve this, we employed pyrolysis/gas chromatography (py/gc) and pyrolysis/gas chromotography/mass spectrometry (py/gc/ms). Pyrolysis techniques have been used to examine peat, coal, coalified wood, and related substances. However, the technique has not been previously applied to a systematic and histologically-related series of coalified woods. It is particularly useful to compare the results from pyrolytic studies with the data obtained from solid-state **1**3C NMR.