Arco Chemical Technology, L.p.

Atlantic Richfield Company

Other

John G Zajacek

Guy L Crocco

Robert James Saxton

John J McCoy

Haven S Kesling, Jr

John C Jubin, Jr

Edward T Shawl

Wilfred P Shum

Carmen L Rodriguez

Karl E Fuger

Lee R Zehner

Ming N Sheng

Rudolph Rosenthal

Kanthi S Wijesekera

Francis J Hilbert

Mahmoud K Faraj

Thomas N Baker, Iii

Wilfred F Shum

Allyl alcohol is hydroformated to 1,4-butanediol using a rhodium and trialkyl phosphine catalyst having at least 2 methyl groups, the reaction first being carried out at milder conditions and subsequently at more, severe conditions.

Butanediol production

A titanium-containing molecular sieve which has been used as an oxidation catalyst is regenerated to provide a level of performance comparable to that of freshly prepared catalyst by heating at less than 400.degree. C. in the presence of molecular oxygen. The same batch of catalyst thus may be used over an extended period of time in a continuous epoxidation process by periodic practice of the aforedescribed reactivation method.

Regeneration of a titanium-containing molecular sieve

A titanium-containing molecular sieve which has been used as an oxidation catalyst is regenerated to provide a level of performance comparable to that of freshly prepared catalyst by heating in the presence of a gas stream comprised of less than 5 volume percent molecular oxygen. The regeneration temperature may be in the range of from 150.degree. C. to 700.degree. C. The same batch of catalyst thus may be used over an extended period of time in a continuous epoxidation process by periodic practice of the aforedescribed reactivation method.

A crystalline molecular sieve having a framework structure isomorphous with zeolite beta and containing Si and Ti, but essentially no framework Al, usefully catalyzes olefin epoxidation wherein hydrogen peroxide is the oxidant.

Tiatanium containing molecular sieve having a zelite beta structure

Epoxides are produced by an integrated process involving molecular oxygen oxidation of a secondary alcohol, separation of the ketone co-product, and epoxidation of an olefin using the ketone-free oxidation product in the presence of a titanium silicalite catalyst and a methanol-containing diluent wherein methanol recovered from the epoxidation product mixture serves as a source of methanol in the epoxidation step.

Integrated process for epoxidation

A process for producing a titanium-containing zeolite such as TS-1 titanium silicalite is disclosed. A precursor mixture comprising a silica source such as tetraalkylorthosilicate, a titanium source such as titanium alkoxide, a growth medium comprising a nitrogen-containing organic base such as an amine, a fluoride-containing mineralizing agent such as hydrogen fluoride, and an optional organic solvent, is formed then heated to yield the titanium-containing zeolite as solid crystals. A controlled amount of water may be present in the growth medium. The process is capable of providing good yields of high purity zeolites containing framework titanium atoms even in the absence of a quaternary ammonium salt.

Non-hydrothermal method of making a titanium-containing zeolite

Epoxidation process

An as-synthesized zeolite having titanium substituted in its lattice framework and containing an organic template such as a quaternary ammonium salt may be activated for use as a catalyst by treating said as-synthesized zeolite with ozone. At least partial removal and/or reaction of the organic template is accomplished even at moderate temperatures, in contrast to conventional calcination techniques which require the use of significantly higher activation temperatures.

Activation of as-synthesized titanium-containing zeolites

Molecular sieve zeolites containing niobium isomorphously substituted in their framework lattice are obtained by hydrothermal crystallization using quaternary ammonium templates. The zeolites are useful catalysts, particularly for the oxidation of hydrocarbons such as olefins.

Olefin epoxidation using niobium-containing zeolites

Prochiral ethylenically unsaturated substrates are converted to chiral epoxides by reaction with optically active hydroperoxides in the presence of titanium-containing zeolites such as titanium zeolite beta. The method is particularly suitable for producing epoxides from unsubstituted aliphatic olefins which have exceptionally high optical purity as measured by enantiomeric excess.

Asymetric epoxidation using a titanium-containing zeolite and a chiral

The selectivity of an olefin epoxidation process catalyzed by titanium silicalite is improved by performing the epoxidation in the presence of minor amounts of nonbasic salts such as lithium chloride, sodium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. For example, when hydrogen peroxide is reacted with propylene to form propylene oxide, non-selective ring-opening reactions of the propylene oxide are suppressed when low concentrations of a nonbasic salt are added to the hydrogen peroxide feed.

Process for titanium silicalite-catalyzed epoxidation

A crystalline molecular sieve having a framework structure isomorphous with zeolite beta and containing Si and Ti, but essentially no framework Al, usefully catalyzes olefin epoxidation wherein hydrogen peroxide or an organic hydroperoxide is utilized as the oxidizing agent.

Niobium-containing zeolites

An integrated process for producing cyclohexanone oxime, a caprolactam precursor, is provided wherein isopropanol is utilized to generate the hydrogen peroxide oxidizing agent. The acetone produced as a co-product is recycled back to the secondary alcohol by hydrogenation. Ammoximation of cyclohexanone is performed in the presence of water and an alcohol other than isopropanol such as methanol or t-butyl alcohol.

Integrated process for cyclohexanone oxime production

Hydrogen peroxide is produced by oxidizing alkylammonium salts of sulfonic acid-substituted anthrahydroquinones. As said salts are highly soluble in protic polar solvents such as water and lower aliphatic alcohols, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the reaction product thereby obtained may be advantageously high. The anthraquinone salt co-product generated by such oxidation may be readily converted in high yield back to the starting anthrahydroquinone salt by hydrogenation.

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Devon, PA, United States of America

John G Zajacek