Hooker Chemicals & Plastics Corporation

Occidental Chemical Corporation

Joseph J Moritz

Joseph S Wisnouskas

Harry E Buckholtz

J Steven Oi

Disclosed is a method of making 2,4,5-trihalobenzoic acid by heating to a temperature of about 130.degree. to about 190.degree. C. a composition that comprises water, a mineral acid, and a compound having the general formula ##STR1## where 'X' is fluorine, chlorine, or bromine and 'R' is alkyl from C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 or aryl. The fluorine product is useful in making quinolone antibacterial drugs.

Method of making 2,4,5-trihalobenzoic acid

A process for the purification of crude thionyl chloride wherein the crude thionyl chloride is distilled in the presence of sulfur and a sulfur-aluminum chloride catalyst to convert the impurities, sulfuryl chloride and sulfur dichloride and remove them from the distillate of thionyl chloride. The thionyl chloride collected will contain less than 0.01% sulfuryl chloride, less than 0.1% sulfur monochloride and less than 0.01% sulfur dichloride.

Purification of thionyl chloride

The process disclosed in this invention takes the waste solids, gases, and water from a phosphorus pentasulfide manufacturing facility and hydrolyzes the phosphorus pentasulfide by heating. The phosphorus portion is converted to a soluble phosphate and the sulfur portion to a mixture of sulfide, sulfite and sulfate. The soluble fraction is then treated with a calcium hydroxide solution precipitating the phosphate and sulfates which are removed. The gaseous portion of the hydrolysis is fed to a catalytic oxidizer which converts the sulfides to sulfur, which is removed and the gas, free of sulfur containing species, is exhausted to the atmosphere. The filtrate from the precipitation reaction can be recycled to the plant, or may be chlorinated and discharged.

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Grand Island, NY, United States of America

Joseph J Moritz