Maceral

Macerals or macerals are the organic rock-forming components of coals and kerogens. They have thus a function similar to the minerals as basic constituents of rocks and consist mostly of plant residues superimposed under the pressure of sediments that have been chemically transformed by the elevated temperature and the working fluid phase ( diagenesis or at higher pressures and temperatures metamorphism ). Three groups of macerals are distinguished:

• Vitrinite are the main component of the carbon mold. They go out of humification woody material produced, are dark brown to black color of their own in transmitted light microscope opaque, and show a case of high degree of coalification (from the sub-bituminous coal) increasing shine.
• Inertinite are no longer combustible macerals arising from already burning plant tissues and ash ( is in Resiniten and Fusiniten similar to charcoal in the carbon pile to recognize the characteristic cell structure is still under the microscope, for example, from polymerized vegetable resins or fungal residues).

• Exinite (or Liptinite ) are lipid-rich, transparent in transmitted light microscope, the fluorescence microscope yellow to red macerals that emerge from the diagenesis of natural resins, waxes, spores and pollen and algae bodies.

For coal, the macroscopic appearance varies ( the stripe ) depending on the proportion of the individual macerals:

• Vitrite (gloss carbon) denotes a vitrinitreiche humus coal
• Durit (Matte coal) is a hard, but only slightly shining, liptinitreiche humus coal.
• Clarit ( semi-gloss carbon) mediated between the two types, such as in the glossy and matte layers change in the close distance.
• Fusit ( fiber carbon) is softer, there is a high proportion of Fusinit and colored at the touch from black. Presumably it is a product of forest fires.

In the course of increasing coalification, the various types of strips by same Vitrinisation more and more. The coal is becoming harder and shinier. Therefore, the vitrinite is Petrographie a parameter indicating the degree of ripeness of coals and other rocks containing organic carbon.