Reactivity of Carbon

Abstract

X-RAY examination¹ indicates the presence of graphite in specimens of amorphous carbon. Y. Oshima and Y. Fukuda² conclude that coke and charcoal consist of minute particles of graphite contaminated by and cemented together with hydrocarbon complexes. The so-called amorphous forms of carbon generally show a chemical activity much greater than that displayed by graphite. It is, therefore, of interest to report a reaction in which the reverse is the case. During some systematic investigations of the reactivity of various types of cokes it was discovered that graded (60–100 I.M.M. mesh sieves), hard, metallurgical coke is oxidised at 100° by excess of a mixture of chromic and phosphoric acids, much more rapidly than gas and low temperature cokes. Further investigation showed that graphite and highly graphitised forms of carbon are oxidised by this mixture approximately 20–25 times more rapidly than sugar charcoal.