Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.

Hiroshi Fukuhara

Fujihisa Matsunaga

Mitsuki Yasuhara

Shintaro Araki

Hisaya Miki

Kenji Saeki

Sadao Yoshimoto

Toshiyuki Isaka

Yutaka Haneda

Hideo Oikawa

Toru Taguchi

Yasushi Nakashima

Tokinori Agoo

Toshihiro Tachi

Yasunori Shibuta

A process for producing aromatic carboxylic acids by subjecting an aromatic compound having one or more substituent alkyl groups and/or partially oxidized substituent alkyl groups to a liquid phase oxidation with a molecular oxygen-containing gas in a reaction solvent containing a lower aliphatic carboxylic acid in the presence of a catalyst composed of a heavy metal compound and a bromine compound, under a condition of a weight proportion of said reaction solvent to said aromatic compound within the range from 6.5 to 70 parts by weight per one part by weight of said aromatic compound, a reaction time within the range from 45 to 4.5 minutes and a product of the numerical value of said weight proportion of the reaction solvent to the aromatic compound multiplied by the numerical value of said reaction time expressed in munute within the range from 270 to 330. The process can facilitate the diffusion of oxygen into the reaction medium and improve the volumetric efficency of the reactor to thereby attain an efficient production of aromatic carboxylic acids with a high productivity.

Process for producing aromatic carboxylic acids

A method for producing aromatic carboxylic acids which comprises oxidizing a starting compound selected from the group consisting of alkyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbons and partially oxidized alkyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbons with a molecular oxygen containing gas in the presence of at least one additive selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons, alicyclic hydrocarbons, aliphatic alcohols, alicyclic alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids and ketones and in the presence of a catalyst comprising a heavy metal compound and a bromine compound in a reaction solvent. The aliphatic alcohols, alicyclic alcohols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids and ketones have ten to thirty carbon atoms in the molecule.

Method for producing aromatic carboxylic acids

Propylene can be prepared in high yield and selectivity by dehydrating isopropanol in the presence of a .gamma.-alumina catalyst having a mean pore diameter of from 30 to 150 .ANG. with a standard deviation (.sigma..sub.n) of from 10 to 40 .ANG. based on statistic calculation from pore diameter and pore volume.

Preparation of propylene by dehydration of isopropanol in the presence

A process for producing a phenol from the steps of:

Process for producing phenols

Isopropanol is prepared through catalytic hydrogenation of acetone by feeding hydrogen gas and acetone liquid into a reactor having a fixed catalyst bed from its top to form a cocurrent gas/liquid downflow while maintaining the catalyst bed in a trickle bed state. This process can produce isopropanol at a high reaction rate in high yields using a simple reactor.

Preparation of isopropanol

Phenol is produced in a recycle manner by (a) reacting benzene with propylene to synthesize cumene, (b) oxidizing the cumene of step (a) into cumene hydroperoxide, (c) acid cleaving cumene hydroperoxide into phenol and acetone, (d) hydrogenating the acetone of step (c) into isopropanol, (e) dehydrating the isopropanol of step (d) into propylene, and (f) recycling the propylene of step (e) to step (a). It is also possible to take propylene from step (e). The acetone by-product produced upon preparation of phenol is converted into propylene which is useful by itself for any other uses or recycled to the phenol producing process.

Phenol preparation process and propylene recovery therefrom

In a first form, a process is provided for preparing phenol by converting acetone by-produced by the cumene process into isopropanol, and alkylating benzene with the isopropanol and optional propylene, thereby forming phenol without acetone by-product. And cumene is prepared by alkylating benzene in the presence of a zeolite catalyst using isopropanol or a mixture of isopropanol and propylene as an alkylating agent. Further provided is the continuous alkylation of benzene with isopropanol wherein a reaction mixture is divided into first and second portions, with the first portion being recycled to the reactor and the second portion being taken out as a reaction product.

Preparation of cumene through alkylation of an aromatic compound and

In a process for producing 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene from 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene, 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene is oxidized in the presence of a specific proportion of a basic compound to hydroxylate or hydroperoxylate 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene in a high conversion, and the resulting intermediate is then subjected to acid cleavage in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to produce 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene in a high yield. The yield of 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene increases by subjecting the reaction mixture containing the above intermediate to a purifying operation or dehydrating operation or adding acetone to it before it is submitted to the acid cleavage. 2,6-Dihydroxynaphthalene may be reacted with acetic anhydride to obtain 2,6-diacetoxynaphthalene.

Process for oxidizing 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene

A phenol and/or a cyclohexanone is prepared by dehydrogenation of cyclohexenone and/or a cyclohexenol in liquid phase under the presence of a solid catalyst comprising a platinum-group metal loaded on a carrier. The solid catalyst comprises a carrier selected from activated carbon and hydrotalcites.

Process for producing a phenol and/or a cyclohexanone

A hydrogenation catalyst which is prepared by adsorbing ruthenium ions on a hydrotalcite (i.e. an anionic clay mineral) and/or a compound capable of conversion to a hydrotalcite structure by hydration, and then reducing said adsorbed ruthenium ions. The catalyst suitable for use in a process by which a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is partially reduced to produce cyclohexene.

Growing community of inventors

Ichihara, Japan

Hiroshi Fukuhara