Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are components of petroleum or byproducts of combustionor fuel conversion and normally occur as mixtures. This experimental study aimsat understanding the phase behavior of binary and multicomponent PAH systems.Solid-liquid phase diagrams were mapped for mixtures of anthracene + pyrene andanthracene + benzo[a]pyrene, showing the formation of eutectics. Phase behaviorwas explored using differential scanning calorimetry and the enthalpy of fusionassociated with the mixtures was strongly influenced by eutectic formation. Knudseneffusion vapor pressure experiments show that the vapor-solid equilibrium ofbinary PAH mixtures was often far from ideal. The anthracene + pyrene system formstwo solid azeotropes. Moderate levels of anthracene can be retained in thebenzo[a]pyrene crystallographic structure without significant effect on themeasured thermodynamic properties compared with pure benzo[a]pyrene. Althoughbinary PAH mixtures often deviate from ideality, multi-component PAH mixtures trendtowards more ideal mixture behavior.

Phase behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures: Eutectic formation, deviation from Raoult's law, and solid azeotropy

240th National Meeting (2010)

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