Paration of nitrogen containing pitches from quinoline and isoquinoline by AID of A1C1₃

Oligomeric pitch syntheses from quinoline and isoquinoline were studied using AlCl₃ as a Friedel Craft type catalyst at 280 C and 300 C to obtain N-enrichcd pitch substances. The yield and analyses of pitch product suggest very different reactivities of the substrates, much lower reactivity and pitch yield, more loss of nitrogen and hydrogen at preparation of isoquinoline pitch (IQP) being definitely noted. The IQP gave less graphitie coke of fine mosaic texture while quinoline pitch (QP) did graphitic coke of flow texture. It is of value to note that the IQP lost less nitrogen during the carbonization than QP, although IQP lost its major nitrogen at its preparation, both cokes from IQP and QP carrying a similar amount of nitrogen atoms after the calcination at 1200 C. Coke from IQP exhibited significant basicity by the calcination up to 900 C, probably reflecting nitrogen atoms at the uncondensed location in the aromatic ring systems of the pitch and the coke. A higher temperature of up to 1200C removed the basicity from the coke.