Peroxyacetic acid oxidation has been used to investigate the type and distribution of organic sulfur species in samples of vitrinite, sporinite and inertinite, separated from the Herrin No.6 and an Indiana No.5 coal seam. It was established that organic sulfur species were selectively preserved during oxidation and their analysis led to some of the first sulfur-33 NMR spectra obtained for coal. The effects of maceral separation processes on model compounds were also studied. Results from our studies support the following conclusions: 1). Different macerals have different distributions and types of organic sulfur species. 2). Organic sulfur compounds in coal occur at the ends of macromolecular structures. 3). Maceral separation techniques do not affect organic sulfur species in coal. 4). Maceral separation is essential for the chemical characterization of coal. 5). GC-MS and sulfur-33 NMR data agree
