Tar samples obtained through high temperature carbonization of three different bituminous coals were separated into oil, asphaltene and preasphaltene fractions by soxhlet extraction. The oil fraction was further separated into parafinic, neutral aromatic and polar aromatic sub-fractions by silica gel chromatography. By means of the FT-IR spectroscopy of the sub-fractions, an attempt was made to define the existing functional groups, and through H-1-NMR spectroscopy, interpretations were made as to the aliphatic and aromatic hydrogen distribution as well as the location of the hydrogen atoms in the molecule and their position in relation to each other.