Hoechst Celanese Corporation

Adolfo Aguilo'

Brad L Smith

G Paull Torrence

James S Alder

Mark A Murphy

Kwoliang D Tau

An alcohol such as methanol is reacted with carbon monoxide in a liquid reaction medium containing a rhodium catalyst stabilized with an iodide salt, especially lithium iodide, along with alkyl iodide such as methyl iodide and alkyl acetate such as methyl acetate in specified proportions. With a finite concentration of water in the reaction medium the product is the carboxylic acid instead of, for example, the anhydride. The present reaction system not only provides an acid product of unusually low water content at unexpectedly favorable reaction rates but also, whether the water content is low or, as in the case of prior-art acetic acid technology, relatively high, is characterized by unexpectedly high catalyst stability; i.e., it is resistant to catalyst precipitation out of the reaction medium.

Methanol carbonylation process

A process for manufacturing 1,3-glycols is disclosed. The process comprises reacting an epoxide with synthesis gas in the presence of rhodium and a phosphine.

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Corpus Christi, TX, United States of America

Adolfo Aguilo'