Destructive distillation is the
chemical process involving the
decomposition of
feedstock by heating it to a high temperature; the term generally applies to processing of
organic material in the absence of air or in the presence of limited amounts of oxygen or other
reagents,
catalysts, or
solvents, such as
steam or
phenols. It is an application of
pyrolysis. The process breaks up or
'cracks' large molecules.
Coke,
coal gas,
gas carbon,
coal tar,
Buckminsterfullerene,
ammonia liquor, and "
coal oil" historically, are examples of commercial products of the destructive distillation of coal.