Occidental Chemical Corporation

Dean R Lagerwall

Pravin M Khandare

Hang-Chang Bobby Chen

Mark F Lechner

Daniel R Thielen

David Y Tang

Mohan Singh Saran

Mark E Lindrose

Viesturs Lesins

Arthur H Morth

Frank P Bermel

David E Albright

William L Rueter

Chandrasekhar Krishnan

David Harrigan

Lewis A Bernstein

Kevin Zinke

A method of making a benzoyl halide is disclosed. Into a reactor is placed a reaction mixture of a benzotrihalide and a benzaldehyde having the respective general formulas

Method of making benzoyl halides and nitriles

Disclosed is a method of increasing the percentage of certain isomers made when di or tri-substituted benzenes are chlorinated in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst. The use of about 0.001 to about 1 wt % a cocatalyst during chlorination alters the isomeric ratio of the product mixture. In particular, the percentage of the 2,5-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is ortho or meta-substituted, the percentage of the 3,4-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is para-substituted, and the percentage of the 2,4,5-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is 2,4-disubstituted, 3,4-disubstituted, or 2,5-disubstituted.

Method of increasing certain isomeric ratios in chlorinating substituted benzenes

Disclosed is a method of removing about 0.05 to about 20 mole % of a benzaldehyde or benzotrihalide from a mixture with a liquid compound that boils within about &minus;10 to about &plusmn;5&deg; C. of the boiling point of the benzaldehyde or benzotrihalide. To the mixture is added a benzotrihalide in an amount about stoichiometric to about 10 mole % in excess of stoichiometric, or, respectively, a benzaldehyde in an amount about stoichiometric with the amount of said benzotrihalide, where said benzaldehyde and said benzotrichloride react to form a benzalhalide and a benzoylhalide. The product mixture is distilled to isolate the products.

Method of reducing benzaldehyde or benzotrihalide content in a mixture

Disclosed is a method of making high purity 2,4- and 3,4-dichlorotoluene from parachlorotoluene that contains some metachlorotoluene. About 0.0001 to about 5 wt % of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst and about 0.5 to about 10 equivalents of a brominating agent are added to the parachlorotoluene. The metachlorotoluene is brominated, but most of the parachlorotoluene is not brominated. Without separating the brominated products from the unbrominated products, about 0.5 to about 1.5 equivalents of a chlorinating agent are added, whereby only the unbrominated products (i.e., the parachlorotoluene) are chlorinated. The resulting 2,4-dichlorotoluene and 3,4-dichlorotoluene can be separated by distillation.

Method of making high purity 2,4- and 3,4-dichlorotoluene

Disclosed is an improved process for reacting a halogenated ester with an alkali metal alkoxide to form an alkoxy ester and a salt. A solvent is added to the halogenated ester prior to the addition of the alkali metal alkoxide. This results in a substantial increase in the particle size of the salt which greatly facilitates its separation from the solution of the alkoxy ester product.

Process for making alkoxy esters

Disclosed is a process for reducing corrosion in a system in which aromatic hydrocarbons are separated from a mixture with aliphatic hydrocarbons. The aromatic hydrocarbons are extracted from the mixture using an extracting solvent. The aromatic hydrocarbons are stripped from the extracting solvent with steam and the steam is condensed to form water which is separated from the aromatic hydrocarbons. The separated water is passed through a basic anion exchange column and is then heated to produce the steam.

Process for reducing corrosion in a system for separating aromatic

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Amherst, NY, United States of America

Dean R Lagerwall