Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

The Chemithon Corporation

Horst Reuner

Rudolf Aigner

Rainer Muller

Gunther Muller

A method and a device for the sulfonation or the sulfation of organic liquid raw materials with an SO/air mixture and other reaction gases in order to perform rapid, highly exothermic gas-liquid reactions in conventional thin-layer falling-film reactors are disclosed. The introduction of the SO/air mixture occurs through several feed locations, which are located within (along) the reaction tube or reaction tubes or in the annular gap of annular-gap falling-film reactors. High peak temperatures, undesirable byproducts, worsening of the color and local oversulfation or oversulfonation, which leads to side reactions, are largely avoided.

Method and device for the sulfonation or sulfation of sulfonatable or sulfatable organic substances and for performing faster, strongly exothermic gas/liquid reactions

A process for the preparation of sulfated alkanol oxethylates or alkylphenol oxethylates is described. After completion of the reaction with SO.sub.3, 0.1 to 0.5% by weight, relative to the alkanol oxethylates or alkylphenol oxethylates employed, of at least one of the following compounds: water, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol or n-heptane are admixed to the reaction mixture and liquid and gas are subsequently separated at a temperature of 20.degree. to 60.degree. C. The liquid is then neutralized with aqueous alkali as customary and leads to ether sulfate/water mixtures with considerably reduced contents of 1,4-dioxane which can either be used without further aftertreatment or with a considerably reduced outlay in terms of aftertreatment as personal hygiene agents and for various other purposes.

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Burghausen, Germany

Horst Reuner