This work aims to study the reactivity
of a broad range
of aromatic
hydrocarbons to better understand the reactivities of more complex
hydrocarbon mixtures. A set of closed-system pyrolysis experiments
were conducted on a diverse range of ∼30 polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) at the thermal onset reaction temperature of 400
°C to understand structural effects on reactivities and shed
light on the early events of thermal reaction mechanisms. Thermal
transformations, including methyl transfer (alkylation/dealkylation),
rearrangement, condensation, molecular growth, and other chemical
transformations, are often indicated by dark carbon materials composed
of complex mixtures. Thermal transformation was confirmed by phenomenological
changes (color and solubility) and chemical analysis using nuclear
magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, gas chromatography,
and electron spin resonance. Unsubstituted PAHs (e.g., phenanthrene,
anthracene, pyrene, chrysene, etc.) were unaffected by heating at
this temperature, with the exception of tetracene and pentacene which
readily transformed into dark and insoluble materials. The reactivity
of these unsubstituted PAHs is consistent with aromaticity predicted
by the Clar theory. On the contrary, most alkyl-substituted PAHs can
be transformed into carbon materials at 400 °C; however, alkyl-substituted
phenanthrenes (2,7-dimethyl, 2-ethyl, or 7-ethyl) and benzenes (xylenes
and pentamethylbenzene) were unreactive. CH2-containing
PAH molecules were unreactive if in a five-membered ring (e.g., fluorene
and benzofluorene) but became reactive if in a six-membered ring (9,10-dihydroanthracene),
likely as a result of aromatization of the latter. The reactivity
of the aryl–aryl linkage depends upon the aromatic moieties
to which it is connected. While it is unreactive when connecting phenyl
groups, such as in p-terphenyl, it is reactive when
connecting pyrenes, such as in 1,1′-bispyrene. These results
were unexpected and challenge the conventional thinking about hydrocarbon
reactivities. Explanations and possible hypotheses are proposed, but
more questions remain unanswered to understand the structural effects
on reactivities. These findings are conducive to the sustainable use
of aromatic hydrocarbons for higher value carbon materials and relevant
to numerous pyrolysis studies on oil shale kerogens, biomass, and
waste plastics.