Abstract
We investigated changes in the chemical structure of Susuki plants during the burning process using ^<13>C-NMR, FT-IR and XRD. 1) When the plants were heated to 200℃, they did not burn. At the temperatures of 250 or 450℃, the plants burned. 2) In the case of comparing the non-burned samples and non-heated plants, their ^<13>C-NMR spectra were similar for lignin and especially cellulose. The relative content of carbohydrate-C in the burned samples was much lower than that in the non-burned samples. Furthermore, the relative content of aromatic-C in the burned samples was much higher than that in the non-burned samples. 3) The results of the FT-IR spectra showed that the absorption of aliphatic C-H stretching and C-O stretching of polysaccharide-like substances, which was clearly observed in the non-burned samples, disappeared or weakened in the burned samples. On the other hand, the absorption of C=C stretching of the aromatic ring or olefinic bond was strengthened in the burned samples. 4) The results of the XRD analyzes indicated that, in the burned samples, the interplanar spacing distance of organic substances was shortened and the aromacity was increased. 5 ) The results obtained indicate that Susuki plants are mainly composed of cellulose-like substances, and are mainly converted into condensed aromatic substances during the burning process.
