Monsanto Company

James W Gambell

Steven R Auvil

Arnold Hershman

John F Herber

Quentin E Thompson

Henry K Yuen

H Burnham Tinker

Clifford D Eng

A heat transfer fluid which maintains a low hydrogen permeation rate at temperatures of 350.degree.-400.degree. c. or higher and its pumpability at temperatures of -10.degree. C. or lower is provided. The fluid is especially useful in solar energy collection applications. A method of reducing fluid impurities from polyphenyls is also disclosed.

Heat transfer fluids

Hydrogen cyanide is produced from ammonia and carbon monoxide, or gases containing these compounds, while substantially avoiding the water shift reaction, by passing these compounds in contact with catalyst masses (for example, alumina-silica molecular sieves) having a high protonic acid content. Protonic acid content can be measured by ammonium acetate titration.

Hydrogen cyanide process

The concentration of chlorine-containing compounds in a gaseous mixture in contact with a solid chloroisocyanurate can be safely lowered by use of a porous crystalline alumino-silicate having an essentially uniform pore size and a free aperture dimension of at least about 3.5 angstroms, said alumino-silicate being essentially unreactive with the chloroisocyanurate and its hydrolysis and decomposition products.

Chloroisocyanurate compositions

In the process for preparing acetonitrile from CO, NH.sub.3 and H.sub.2, molybdenum catalysts containing manganese or alkaline earths, and optionally alkali metals, are employed to improve selectivity to acetonitrile.

Acetonitrile process with improved catalysts

The invention concerns dehydrogenation of carboxylic acids, lactones, esters, nitriles, the carbon skeleton of the feed material being characterized as containing mono-unsaturation or alternatively functional groups such as hydroxyl which convert under process conditions to unsaturation, the dehydrogenation reaction being conducted in the presence of a contact catalyst comprising a carbonaceous layer effective for the dehydrogenation of mono-unsaturated reactants to di-unsaturated products. Another aspect of the invention involves production of the mono-unsaturated reactants. In particular, the invention provides a route to sorbic acid, for example by dehydrogenation of hexenoic acids or esters thereof.

Production of di-unsaturated carboxylic acids

Tertiary phosphonomethylamines are oxidized with oxygen, preferably in contact with activated carbon, to cause cleavage of a phosphonomethyl group and selective production of a secondary amine.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

James W Gambell