Identification of high molecular weight nitroaromatic compounds from coal fly ash

A large sample of stack-collected coal fly ash was extracted with 60:40 nu/nu benzene:methanol to remove as much of the soluble organic material as possible. This solution was concentrated by gentle evaporation, and was then fractionated on a series of high performance liquid chromatography columns to generate samples suitable for probe mass spectrometric analysis. A series of nitrated derivatives of C21H12 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon have been tentatively identified by low and high resolution mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. The series includes a mononitro, two dinitro isomers, and a trinitro derivative