Study of the polymerization of anthracene oil with AlCl3 by chromatography and related techniques

The structure and composition of products from the reaction of anthracene oil with anhydrous AlCl3 have been examined. Size-exclusion chromatography has been carried out using a column with polystyrene-polydivinylbenzene as stationary phase, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone at 80 degrees C as eluent and variable-wavelength UV-absorption detection. This system provides a chromatogram of the sample with several peaks. Molecular masses corresponding to these peaks were estimated using a calibration curve obtained with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon standards, ranging from 92 to 532 u. The most abundant compounds of the substrate were dimers and trimers of the main anthracene oil components. These results are corroborated on a qualitative level by synchronous UV-fluorescence spectra.