Imperial Chemical Industries Limited

Shell Research Limited

Zeofuels Research (proprietary) Limited

Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company

Reckitt Benckiser Finish B.v.

Enichem Elastomers Ltd.

Pratley Investments (proprietary) Limited

Graham John Hutchings

Raymond Higgins

Claudia Schmaelzle

Alias Younis Al-Bayati

Peter Johnston

Richard G Copperthwaite

Themistoclis Themistocleous

Lance Svend Fuller

Russel Andrew Stewart

Richard William Joyner

Barry William Southward

Frederick Ernest Hancock

Stuart Hamilton Taylor

Torsten Roth

Philip Charles Page

Neil Aubrey Caplan

Christopher Langham

Naomi Markham

John Mark Douthwaite

Dora Zamuner

Philip E Starkey

Deborah A Trebilco

Ian D Hudson

Darren Frank Lee

Donald Bethell

Louise Rhiannon Smith

Samuel David Pattisson

Anna Lazaridou

Nicholas Carthey

Joost Smit

A bleach catalyst suitable for use in automatic dishwashing comprising a mixed metal oxide.

Bleach catalyst

A zeolite-immobilized Lewis acid e.g. copper catalyst for performing carbonyl-ene and iminoene reactions is described. The catalyst can readily be separated from the reaction mixture and re-used in further reactions with minimal reduction in activity.

Catalysts

Production of aziridines comprising reacting an ethylenically unsaturated compound, such as styrene or methyl cinnamate, with a nitrene donor, such as (N-(p-tolylsulphonyl) imino) phenyliodinane in the presence of an acidic zeolitic material having a pore size large enough for the reactants to enter, and the aziridination product to leave, the zeolite supercage, said zeolite having been impregnated, or preferably exchanged, with ions of at least one metal selected from Groups VIA, VIIA, VIII, IB and IIB of the 4th to the 6th periods of the Periodic Table. The metal is preferably copper and the zeolite is preferably zeolite Y. Asymmetric aziridines may be made by treating the catalyst with a chiral modifier such as a 4,4'-disubstituted bis(oxazoline) before contact with the nitrene donor.

Catalytic process

A method of preparing a thiophene comprises reacting an organic compound containing a chain of at least 4 C atoms linked by single or double bonds with a source of sulphur in the vapor phase, in the presence of a supported catalyst, the catalyst having the composition

Thiophene synthesis

A method of preparing a thiophene comprises reacting an organic compound containing a chain of at least 4 C atoms linked by single or double bonds with a source of sulphur in the vapour phase, in the presence of a jarosite-type catalyst, having the composition

An ion exchange material for the removal of radioisotope cations such as the cations of caesium and strontium from an aqueous environment containing the radioisotope cation comprises a modified clinoptilolite produced by treating a natural clinoptilolite with sodium hydroxide at a concentration of approximately 2M or with hydrochloric acid at a concentration of from 0.1 to 5M for a suitable treatment time and at a suitable treatment temperature. The modified clinoptilolite is especially effective in the removal of radioisotope cations from an aqueous environment.

Modified clinoptilolite as an ion exchange material

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a conjugated diene from the corresponding carbonyl compound having the same number of carbon atoms by dehydration at a temperature of 300.degree. to 450.degree. C. using a catalyst comprising aluminium phosphate having the cristobalite structure. This catalyst is superior to aluminium phosphate having the tridymite structure in the dehydration of carbonyl compounds and has advantages over boron phosphate catalysts. Using the process, isoprene may be prepared from 2-methyl butanal and/or methyl isopropyl ketone in high yields. Unexpectedly aluminium phosphate having the cristobalite structure is markedly superior to boron phosphate in converting methyl isopropyl ketone, which is an intermediate product formed in appreciable amounts in the dehydration of 2-methyl butanal to isoprene. This superiority significantly improves the process economics of the conversion reaction of 2-methyl butanal to isoprene.

Preparation of conjugated dienes

A modified natural clinoptilolite, produced by treating a natural clinoptilolite with a suitable mineral acid or with a suitable alkali and then with a suitable mineral acid, is used as a catalyst in a process for the conversion of propane or butane to give a product containing at least 40% of ethene, propene or C.sub.4 hydrocarbons or a mixture thereof.

Conversion of propane and butane

There is disclosed a method for the modification of a natural clinoptilolite by acid treatment using a mineral acid at a suitable temperature and for a suitable period of time, followed by calcination, to produce a modified clinoptilolite which may be used as a catalyst in a reaction for the preparation of or transformation of hydrocarbons, e.g. the cracking of hydrocarbon products. There is also disclosed a method of regenerating the deactivated modified catalyst after use by treatment in the presence of nitrous oxide.

Modified zeolite catalysts

Maleic anhydride is produced by oxidizing a straight chain C.sub.4 hydrocarbon with oxygen in a stream comprising 25 to 60% by volume of the C.sub.4 hydrocarbon, 20 to 45% by volume of oxygen and optionally inert gases to produce a stream containing at least 21/2% by volume of maleic anhydride and condensing maleic anhydride substantially free from water from this stream.

Production of maleic anhydride

Hydrocarbons, particularly n-butane, are oxidized to acid anhydrides, especially maleic anhydride, by contacting them at concentrations above the flammable limit with oxygen in the presence of a vanadium/phosphorus mixed oxide catalyst having a surface area of at least 10 m.sup.2 /g. The concentration of inert gas is more than 70 molar percent and the oxygen concentration is greater than 13 molar percent.

Production of maleic acid and anhydride

Catalysts for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to acid anhydrides, for example maleic and phthalic anhydrides, are prepared from a vanadium/phosphorus mixed oxide precursor by conditioning it by contact with a strong acid of concentration at least 3N and solvent extraction to remove unwanted phases. The treated precursor is converted to a catalytically active form by heating. Novel catalysts containing phase X are produced. The catalysts may contain rare earth metal promoters.

Hydrocarbons, particularly n-butane, are oxidized to acid anhydrides, especially maleic anhydride, by contacting them at concentrations above the flammable limit with oxygen in the presence of a vanadium/phosphorus mixed oxide catalyst having a surface area of at least 10 m.sup.2 /g. The oxygen concentration is greater than 13 molar percent and/or the concentration of inert gas is less than 70 molar percent.

Catalysts for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to acid anhydrides, for example maleic and phthalic anhydrides, are prepared from a vanadium/phosphorus mixed oxide precursor by conditioning it by contact with a strong acid of concentration at least 3 N and solvent extraction to remove unwanted phases. The treated precursor is converted to a catalytically active form by heating. Novel catalysts containing phase X are produced. The catalysts may contain rare earth metal promoters.

Production of acid anhydrides and catalysts therefor

Catalysts for the oxidation of hydrocarbons to maleic anhydride comprise a phosphorus/vanadium mixed oxide promoted by tungsten antimony, niobium, and/or molybdenum, having a surface area of at least 10m.sup.2 /g.

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Osmotherley, United Kingdom

Graham John Hutchings