Hoechst Celanese Corporation

Celanese International Corporation

Celanese Gmbh

Carl David Murphy

Richard Vicari

Kathleen Nelson Juneau

R Jay Warner

Apurba Bhattacharya

John R Fritch

Larry D Zeagler

Carina A McAdams

Daniel D Lindley

Donna L Keene

Kenneth Allen Windhorst

Carina Araullo-McAdams

William P McMillan

Gustavo Angel Robelo Grajales

Russell Mark Stephens

Kimberly Ann Horan

Jose Alfonso Torres

Fernando Alejo Solorzano

Francisco Javier Sanchez Santiago

Disclosed herein is an improved process for producing ethyl acetate comprising contacting acetic acid and ethanol in a reaction zone in the presence of an acid catalyst, distilling formed vapors and condensing to form an organic phase rich in ethyl acetate and an aqueous phase rich in water, separating the phases and further distilling each phase to obtain a final purified ethyl acetate product and a water stream low in organic components, the improvement comprising directing the organic phase from the first distillation to the reaction zone. An alternate embodiment involves directing at least a portion of the organic phase from the first distillation to a membrane separation unit which removes water and/or alcohol from the organic phase rich in ethyl acetate.

Process improvement for continuous ethyl acetate production

This invention relates to a process for the simultaneous coproduction of ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate. The esterification reaction comprises contacting acetic acid with a mixed alcohol stream of ethanol and isopropanol. Exemplified is a purified, Fischer Tropsch derived mixture of ethanol and isopropanol. The esterification reaction occurs in the presence of an acidic catalyst in a liquid phase reaction system. The resultant crude reaction step product is separated and purified by distillation to produce acetate ester products having greater than 99.5 wt % purity.

Process for the simultaneous coproduction and purification of ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate

Disclosed is a process for the production of t-butyl acetate and coproduction of methyl acetate or ethyl acetate, directly from MTBE or ETBE, by contacting a mixture of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and MTBE, or alternatively, ETBE, with an acid catalyst. Unlike the art, disclosed is a route employing a tert-butyl ether as starting material for the desired production or coproduction of tert-butyl acetate. Also unlike the art, acetic anhydride is employed to react with the water of formation from the esterification reaction to control formation of t-butyl alcohol.

Production of tertiary butyl acetate

A process for the recovery of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) from an aqueous mixture of MEK and ethanol comprising extracting the MEK from the mixture using an extractive solvent selected from the group consisting of isopentane, the o-, m-, m-isomers of xylene, and mixed xylenes. Preferably the extractive solvent is separated from the MFK in the extract by fractional distillation and recycled to the extraction step.

Process of recovering methyl ethyl ketone from an aqueous mixture of

The present invention provides novel highly branched macromolecule polymers that have highly controlled molecular architectures, and having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.4, R.sub.5, and R.sub.6 are defined herein.

Hyperbranched polymers

The present invention provides a novel one-step process for preparing substituted aryls which can be used as end-capping monomers for preparing highly branched macromolecule polymers that have highly controlled molecular architectures. The process comprises the steps of (a) reacting an aromatic acid with an activating carbodiimide for a sufficient period of time and under suitable conditions of temperature and pressure to form an activated aromatic intermediate, and (b) reacting said intermediate with a suitable nucleophile for a sufficient period of time and under suitable conditions of temperature and pressure to form said substituted aryl compound.

Process for preparing substituted aryls

The present invention provides novel one-step processes for preparing highly branched macromolecule polymers that have highly controlled molecular architectures. The process comprises the reaction of a branching monomer such as a substituted phenyl compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are defined herein, with a core monomer and an end-capping monomer, such as a phenolic ester, for a sufficient period of time and at a sufficient temperature to directly produce the highly branched polymer, in a single processing step.

Process for preparing hyperbranched polymers

The present invention provides novel one-step processes for preparing highly branched macromolecule polymers that have highly controlled molecular architectures. The process comprise the reaction of a branching monomer such as a substituted phenyl compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are defined herein, with a second monomer (an end-capping monomer) such as a phenolic ester for a sufficient period of time and at a sufficient temperature to directly produce the highly branched polymer, in a single processing step.

A process is provided whereby S(+)-ibuprofen or R(-)-ibuprofen L-lysinate salt is produced by selective precipitation from a mixture containing enantiomers of ibuprofen and L-lysine. The quantity of L-lysine is not more than about a molar equivalent of the quantity of one of the enantiomers in the ibuprofen enantiomeric mixture. Upon precipitation of one ibuprofen enantiomer from the mixture, the overall precipitate and reaction mixture can be held for a sufficient period of time at a second temperature to allow the first precipitate to redissolve into the reaction mixture and the other ibuprofen enantiomer to precipitate out of the mixture in the salt form. Optically active ibuprofen is racemized by being heated at 100.degree. C. to 300.degree. C. in the substantial absence of other materials.

Selective precipitation of .alpha.-aryl carboxylic acid salts

There is disclosed and claimed a process whereby S(+)-ibuprofen L-lysinate salt is produced by selective precipitation from a mixture containing enantiomers of ibuprofen and L-lysine. The quantity of L-lysine is not more than about a molar equivalent of the quantity of S(+)-ibuprofen in the ibuprofen enantiomeric mixture. The mother liquors after separating the above salt are enriched in R-ibuprofen which is racemized by a novel thermal racemization process and may then be recycled.

Racemization of an enantomerically enriched .alpha.-aryl carboxylic acid

A process is provided for removing water from a mixture of hydrogen fluoride (HF), a carboxylic acid, e.g., acetic acid, and water by extractive distillation in the presence of a Lewis base as solvent, which does not azeotrope with water, forms bonds with the HF and carboxylic acid which can be broken by heat and has a boiling point at atmospheric pressure at least about 20.degree. C. above that of the carboxylic acid, e.g., N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and taking off an overhead vapor comprising a major proportion of the water in said mixture. The extractive distillation may be advantageously integrated in an overall process with the production of an aromatic ketone, e.g., 4-hydroxyacetophone, by the Friedel-Crafts acylation of an aromatic compound, e.g., phenol, with the carboxylic acid, using HF as catalyst, to produce a product mixture comprising the aromatic ketone, HF, carboxylic acid and water, and the removal of aromatic ketone from the product mixture by means of a solvent assisted distillation.

Process for drying hydrogen fluoride-carboxylic acid mixtures

A process is provided for the distillation of a composition containing 4-hydroxyacetophenone and hydrogen fluoride in the presence of an alkane assisting solvent having from 4 to 16 carbon atoms e.g. n-hexane or n-octane. The process is carried out to obtain an overhead vapor containing alkane solvent and most of the hydrogen fluoride in the feed, and a liquid residue containing most of the 4-hydroxyacetophenone in the feed. The overhead vapor is condensed to form two immiscible phases, one containing a preponderance of hydrogen fluoride and the other a preponderance of alkane solvent, with the latter phase being returned to the distillation as reflux. The liquid residue also separates into two immiscible layers, one containing most of the 4-hydroxyacetophenone in the feed which is recovered and the other a preponderance of alkane solvent.

Process for purifying 4-hydroxyacetophenone

In catalytically oxidizing methanol in the vapor phase according to already-known processes for the production of formaldehyde, the hot formaldehyde-containing gaseous effluent of the catalytic converter is rapidly cooled by being passed through the tubes of a heat exchanger which are filled with balls composed of a solid which is substantially inert toward formaldehyde. As compared with a similar cooling system in which the tubes are empty or in which enhancement of heat transfer is attempted by using metal heat-transfer enhancement devices such as twisted metal ribbons, the present method affords reduced post-reaction decomposition of formaldehyde while at the same time allowing use of a relatively high temperature on the shell side of the heat exchanger whereby it becomes possible to raise steam at a pressure higher than that characteristic of the prior art.

Growing community of inventors

Corpus Christi, TX, United States of America

Carl David Murphy