The Dow Chemical Company

Erik J Stewart

George J Quarderer, Jr

Danil Tirtowidjojo

David L Trent

Cheryl A Tirtowidjojo

Douglas C Greminger

David J Koranek

Kim G Bargeron

Curtis N Swisher

Anil J Mehta

This invention is a method for forming hypohalous acid in a mass transfer device. The method comprises: (1) feeding into the device a stream of caustic solution comprising at least one alkali or alkaline earth metal of a hydroxide, oxide, hypohalite, bicarbonate, or carbonate; (2) feeding a stream comprising halogen gas into the device; (3) reacting at least some of the halogen gas with the caustic solution to form a solution containing hypohalous acid; (4) desorbing the hypohalous acid from the solution and into the stream of halogen gas; and (5) removing the stream of halogen gas from the device. In this method, the mass transfer device comprises a porous rotor which is permeable to the streams, and is rotated about an axis such that the streams flow through the rotor and the stream of caustic solution flows radially outward from the axis.

Method for synthesis of hypohalous acid

A process of preparing alkylene oxides comprises steps of: (1) optionally forming a hypochlorite solution; (2) contacting chlorine with a solution of a hypochlorite below about 60.degree. C., and a pH of less than about 5.5, with sufficient micromixing to achieve a product hypochlorous acid in a yield of at least about 80 percent; (3) separating at least a portion the hypochlorous acid from an aqueous metal chloride solution wherein the solution is sprayed as droplets; (4) distilling the remaining liquid phase; (5) absorbing the hypochlorous acid and dichlorine monoxide in low-chlorides water to produce a low-chlorides aqueous hypochlorous acid solution; (6) contacting the low-chlorides aqueous hypochlorous acid solution with an olefin in a continuous process to form a olefin chlorohydrin; (7) optionally contacting the olefin chlorohydrin with a base to form a alkylene oxide and a salt solution; and (8) optionally separating the alkylene oxide from the salt solution. (9) optionally removing chlorates from the chloride brine by contacting the chlorates with acid to convert the chlorates to chlorine; and (10) optionally recycling the chlorine. The process yields particularly high yields of the alkylene oxide without substantial production of by-products.

Process for preparing alkylene oxides

Growing community of inventors

Brazoria, TX, United States of America

Erik J Stewart