Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Franz-Josef Mueller

Gerd Kaibel

Horst Hartmann

Waldhelm Hochstein

Klaus Joerg

Rudolf Kummer

Wolfgang Steiner

Gerhard Hamprecht

Wolfgang Harder

Werner Steck

Matthias Irgang

Laszlo Marosi

Gerd Wunsch

Rolf-Dieter Acker

Paul Deigner

Karl-Heinz Ross

Werner Loeser

Joachim Stabenow

Gerhart Eigenberger

Otto Kratzer

Gerhard Borchert

Axel Anderlohr

Bernd Hoppner

Waldheim Hochstein

Peter Blei

Schuster, Ludwig

Dominique Matt

Methyl formate is prepared by converting methanol over a copper-containing catalyst at elevated temperatures and in the gas phase by a process in which the catalyst used contains from 30 to 80% by weight of copper, calculated as CuO, as well as from 20 to 70% by weight of a magnesium silicate, calculated as MgO plus SiO.sub.2, which has a molar ratio of MgO/SiO.sub.2 of from 0.3 to 1.5, and may additionally be doped with the metals zinc, chromium and/or barium, each in an amount of not more than 1.5% by weight, calculated as ZnO, Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3 and BaO.

Preparation of methyl formate

A process for the preparation of dialkyl carbonates of the general formula I ##STR1## in which R.sup.1 denotes C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 -alkyl, by reaction of alcohols R.sup.1 OH with a gaseous carbon monoxide/oxygen mixture in the presence of a copper catalyst and a co-solvent at elevated temperature and pressure wherein the co-solvent used is a cyclic urea of the general formula II ##STR2## in which n is equal to 2, 3 or 4 and R.sup.2 denotes hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl.

Process for the preparation of dialkyl carbonates

A process for the continuous synthesis of dialkyl carbonates of the general formula I ##STR1## in which R denotes C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl, by reaction of C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkanols with carbon monoxide and oxygen at elevated temperature and pressure and in the presence of a copper-containing catalyst dissolved or suspended in the reaction medium, wherein

A process for the preparation of methyl formate by reacting methanol and carbon monoxide in the presence of an alkali metal alcoholate or alkaline earth metal alcoholate at from 30.degree. to 150.degree. C. and from 50 to 300 bar, wherein a nonionic complexing agent is used to bind the alkali metal cations or alkaline earth metal cations.

Preparation of acetic acid and methyl acetate by gas-phase carbonylation of methanol in the presence of a nickel-containing catalyst and in the presence of chlorine, bromine or iodine or a volatile compound of one of these halogens as a promoter, wherein the active material of the catalyst used consists of not less than 40% by weight of nickel and the catalyst contains 0.001-1 part by weight of palladium per part by weight of nickel, as well as supported catalysts whose active material contains Ni and Pd in the above ratio.

Preparation of acetic acid and methyl acetate

Organic iodine compounds are separated from carbonylation products of methanol, methyl acetate and dimethyl ether and from mixtures of such carbonylation products by a process wherein the iodine compounds are removed by liquid phase extraction with a non-aromatic hydrocarbon.

Removal of organic iodine compounds from carbonylation products of

Ethanol is prepared by hydrogenating acetic acid under superatmospheric pressure and at elevated temperatures by a process wherein a predominantly cobalt-containing catalyst is used and acetic acid and hydrogen are passed through the reactor, at from 210.degree. to 330.degree. C. and under from 10 to 350 bar, under conditions such that a liquid phase in not formed during this procedure.

Continuous preparation of ethanol

A process for separating off organic iodine compounds from acetaldehyde-free carbonylation products of methanol, methyl acetate and dimethyl ether by removing the iodine compounds by azeotropic distillation with a hydrocarbon having a boiling point, under atmospheric pressure, of 25-55.degree. C.

Separating off organic iodine compounds from acetaldehyde-free

A process is provided wherein acetaldehyde and methanol are obtained from reaction mixtures which result from the homologization of methanol and which in addition to acetaldehyde essentially contain acetaldehyde dimethylacetal, methanol, methyl acetate and water.

Isolation of acetaldehyde and methanol from reaction mixtures resulting

Liquid mixtures containing aliphatic alcohols are separated, by distillation, into a higher-boiling alcohol-containing fraction and a lower-boiling fraction containing the other liquids, by carrying out the fractionation in the presence of water and of an alkanal and, over about 3/4 of the column height, in the presence of a non-volatile or only slightly volatile acid.

Distillative separation of liquid mixtures containing aliphatic alcohols

A process for separating off organic iodine compounds from acetaldehyde by subjecting the acetaldehyde to azeotropic distillation with a hydrocarbon boiling at from 25.degree. to 55.degree. C. under atmospheric pressure.

Removal of organic iodine compounds from acetaldehyde

Aromatic silanes are prepared by reacting an aromatic halogen compound with a disilane in the presence of a palladium complex and a phosphite or phosphine. The aromatic silanes obtainable by the process of the invention are valuable intermediates for the preparation of drugs, dyes and pesticides.

Preparation of aromatic silanes

A process for metallizing substrates by activation of the substrate by deposition of palladium from a palladium complex, followed by electroless metallization. The palladium is deposited on the substrate by dipping the substrate into a solution of a palladium(O) complex and decomposing this complex at from 100.degree. to 300.degree. C. With this method it is possible to effectively activate substrates which are attacked by acid or alkali or swollen by organic solvents.

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Wachenheim, Germany

Franz-Josef Mueller