Rhone-poulenc Industries

Francois Laine

Albert Antonini

Philippe Joffre

The process of oxychlorination of ethylene to produce a product in which at least 15 molar per cent of the ethylene is transformed to 1,1,2-trichloroethane and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane along with 1,2-dichloroethane and other more highly chlorinated saturated C.sub.2 compounds, the steps of passing a gaseous feed mixture of ethylene, hydrochloric acid and an oxygen-containing gas, with or without additional 1,2-dichloroethane, through a reaction zone at a temperature of 280.degree. to 370.degree. C, using a fluidized bed catalyst, and in which the molar feed ratios of the reactants are O.sub.2 /C.sub.2 H.sub.4 within the range of above 0.9 to 1.5, HCl/O.sub.2 within the range of 1.40 to 3.00, HCl/C.sub.2 H.sub.4 within the range of 2.20 to 3.65, and which, when 1,2-dichloroethane is present in the feed mixture, the latter is present in a molar proportion with respect to ethylene of less than 2.

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Martiques, France

Francois Laine