Eastman Chemical Company

David Carl Attride

Harold Dail Kimrey, Jr

Brad William Overturf

Mark Robert Shelton

Jarvey Eugene Felty, Jr

Jared Moore

Neil Warren Boaz

John C Hubbs

Shaowo Liang

Kevin John Fontenot

Timothy W Price

John Thorton Maddox

William D Nottingham

Timothy Richard Nolen

Aaron Grills

James Charles Ciula

Timothy Lee Guinn

Andrew Charles Hiester

James Stewart Nelson

David Chris Spencer

Daniel Burts Compton

John Peter Mykytka

Thomas Nabih

Keith B Terhune

Tyler Littrell

Robert E Jones

A commercial scale system and process for chemically modifying wood and then heating the chemically-modified wood. The system/process separates the chemical modification step from the heating step by utilizing two different vessels for the modification and heating steps. The system and process can, in certain situations, include a containment room for preventing escape of vapors from a chemical wood modification reactor, a wood heater, and/or a chemically-modified bundle of wood as the bundle is transported from the wood modification reactor to the wood heater.

Dual vessel chemical modification and heating of wood with optional vapor

A microwave heater equipped with a microwave choke and suitable for heating one or more articles under vacuum. The microwave choke inhibits leakage of microwave energy between a door of the heater and a main vessel body of the heater without causing arcing at the choke, even at low pressures. In certain situations, the microwave choke can be configured with side-by-side choke cavities. In certain situations, the microwave choke can be removably coupled to the door and/or vessel body for easier fabrication, installation, and/or replacement.

Microwave choke system for use in heating articles under vacuum

A microwave heater capable of heating a bundle of wood and equipped with an optimized system for launching and/or dispersing microwave energy. The microwave launching system can include one or more split microwave launchers at least partly disposed in the interior of the heater. The microwave dispersing system can include one or more moving reflectors for rastering microwave energy emitted from the split launchers.

Wood heater with enhanced microwave launching system

An optimized microwave barrier assembly suitable for use with a vacuum microwave heater. The barrier assembly is configured to allow microwaves to pass therethrough in a TMmode, wherein a is 0 and b is an integer in the range of 1 to 5. The barrier assembly is also configured to maintain a pressure differential across a window of the barrier assembly. Such a configuration can reduce or eliminate arcing in the barrier assembly, even at low pressures.

Microwave barrier system for use in heating articles under vacuum

Disclosed is a 4-step process for the preparation of alkyl esters of 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid which comprises the steps of (1) converting &ggr;-butyrolactone to &agr;-methyl-&ggr;-butyrolactone; (2) converting the &agr;-methyl-&ggr;-butyrolactone from step (1) to an alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate; (3) producing a xylene solution of the alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate; and (4) contacting the xylene solution of an alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate from step (3) with an alkali metal alkoxide under conditions of temperature and pressure which causes vaporization of (i) an alkanol as it is formed and (ii) an alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate as it is formed from the alkyl 4-halo-2-methylbutyrate. Also disclosed are processes whereby the alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate, prepared as described above, is converted to 1-methylcyclopropylamine.

Process for the preparation of alkyl 1-methylcyclopropanecarboxylate

The invention relates to a process for isolating a phenyl ester salt from a mixture comprising sulfolane (tetrahydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide). The invention includes adjusting the temperature of a mixture comprising a phenyl ester salt and sulfolane to a temperature of about 100-150&deg; C. This step leads to the formation of a mixture comprising a solid phenyl ester salt and sulfolane. Next, the solid phenyl ester salt is separated, while maintaining the temperature of the mixture at about 100-150&deg; C. The invention also relates to a process that includes adding a sufficient amount of a solvent to a mixture comprising a phenyl ester salt and sulfolane to decrease the viscosity or the density of the mixture. The solvent added has a density less than about 1.20 g/cm at 100&deg; C. or a viscosity of less than about 2.56 centipoise at 100&deg; C. The embodiments of the invention may be used alone or in combination. This invention may be used for the isolation of a variety of phenyl ester salts, including but not limited to sodium 4-sulfophenyl-6-&lsqb;(1-oxynonyl)amino&rsqb;hexanoate, sodium 4-(nonanoyloxy) benzenesulfonate, and sodium benzoyloxybenzenesulphonate.

Isolation of phenyl ester salts from mixtures comprising sulfolane

Disclosed is a process for the preparation of cyclopropanecarboxaldehyde by the thermal isomerization of 2,3-dihydrofuran under superatmospheric pressure, e.g., at a temperature of about 300.degree. to 600.degree. C. and a pressure of about 3 to 345 bars absolute.

Process for the production of cyclopropanecarboxaldehyde

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Jonesborough, TN, United States of America

David Carl Attride