Strong heating of coal in the absence of air or oxygen is called destructive distillation. Coal (Fossil Fuel): Coal is an important solid fossil fuel. Destructive distillation of coal provides useful by-products. The fundamental by-products of coal are: • coke • coal tar • ammoniacal alcohol • coal gas Destructive Distillation of Coal Experiment: Let’sDestructive distillation of Coal Experiment – Organic Chemistry