The British Petroleum Company, P.l.c.

David J Smith

Howard Alper

James B Woell

Bertrand Despeyroux

Josephus J Font Freide

Anthony R Middleton

Philip G Lodge

Sang C Shim

William T Woodfin

Krzysztof R Januszkiewicz

Hydrocarbyl formates, convertible by hydrolysis into formic acid, are produced by reacting carbon dioxide and hydrogen with a compound of formula ROH wherein R is a hydrocarbyl group in the presence of a substantially insoluble compound of an element selected from Groups III to VIII of the Periodic Table, which element exhibits amphoteric or basic properties, and as catalyst a compound of a transition metal of Group VIa, VIIa or VIII of the Periodic Table, particularly rhodium, ruthenium or iridium.

Production of hydrocarbyl formates

Aromatic hydrocarbons are produced from a feedstock comprising ethane and/or propane and/or butane by the steps of:

Process for the production of aromatic hydrocarbons incorporating

Thioesters of the formula RCOSR are produced from a mercaptan of the formula RSH wherein R is a benzylic, aromatic or aliphatic moiety by reacting the mercaptan with carbon monoxide in the presence of a polyunsaturated olefinic hydrocarbon and as catalyst a metal component selected from iron, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, ruthenium, rhodium and iridium, the metal component being in free or combined form.

Carbonylation of mercaptans

Process for the desulphurization of mercaptans

Carbamate esters are produced by reacting at ambient or elevated temperature an amine with carbon monoxide and an alcohol in the presence of a protonic acid, a dehydrating agent, for example a molecular sieve, and a catalyst comprising (a) at least one metal selected from the group palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and cobalt, and (b) at least one of the metals copper, molybdenum and iron, the components (a) and (b) being in the form of elemental metals or compounds thereof. The presence of the dehydrating agent reduces the formation of by-product carbon dioxide.

Carbamate ester production

Process for the production of carboxylic acid esters and/or carboxylic

Carboxylic acid esters are produced by reacting an olefinic hydrocarbon with an ester of formic acid in the presence of both carbon monoxide and oxygen at a temperature of up to 200.degree. and a pressure of up to 300 bar in the presence of water, typically in an amount of from 0.01 to 5% w/w, a source of protons, which is preferably a mineral acid or a tectometallosilicate in the hydrogen form, and as catalyst (a) a source of palladium, and (b) a source of copper.

Process for the production of esters

Carboxylic acids and/or esters thereof are produced by reacting either a benzylic or an aromatic mercaptan with carbon monoxide and either water or an aqueous alcohol at elevated temperature, suitably in the range from 100.degree. to 300.degree. C., in the presence as catalyst of a cobalt carbonyl, the product using water as the reactant being a carboxylic acid and using aqueous alcohol as the reactant a carboxylic acid ester, mixtures of acids and esters being formed using aqueous alcohols having high water concentrations.

Process for the production of carboxylic acids and/or esters thereof

Process for the production of carboxylic acid esters

Lactones are produced by reacting an unsaturated alcohol capable of intramolecular esterification to form a lactone ring with carbon monoxide in the presence of a protonic acid and a catalyst comprising (a) at least one of the metals palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and cobalt, and (b) at least one of the metals copper, molybdenum and iron, the metals (a) and (b) being in the form of either the elemental metal or a compound thereof.

Process for the production of lactones

Process for the production of hydrocarbons from C.sub.1 to C.sub.4

Terminal carbon-carbon double bonds of olefinic hydrocarbons are converted to carbonyl groups by reacting the olefin with oxygen in the presence of (a) a catalyst comprising (i) one or more of the metals palladium, rhodium, ruthenium or iridium, and (ii) copper, (b) a diluent comprising two liquid phases, and (c) a surfactant, provided that when the metal is palladium no alkali or alkaline earth metal is present and the surfactant is dodecyltrimethylammonium or cetyltrimethylammonium chloride or bromide.

Process for the conversion of a terminal carbon-carbon double bond of an

A mixture of the alcohol and ketone derivatives of alkanes is produced by reacting the alkane with a hydrocarbyl hydroperoxide, eg t-butyl hydroperoxide, at ambient or elevated temperature and pressure in the presence as catalyst of an iron or manganese square planar complex having heterocyclic nitrogen-donor ligands, e.g. a porphyrin or phthalocyanine complex, which complex has either no axial ligands, eg the lower valency or cationic complex, or an axial ligand which is non-coordinating or weakly-coordinating.

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Camberley, United Kingdom

David J Smith