Reduction of a subbituminous coal by lithium in liquid ammonia yields a coal salt that can be reacted with 1-iodododecane to yield dodecylated coal that is partially soluble in organic solvents. The coal salt also acts as an initiator for the in situ oligomerization of alkenes onto the surface of the coal nanoplatelets. Atomic force microscopy and high-resolution trans mission electron microscopy images of this material have been recorded. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy has been used to identify minerals that occur in the coal.