Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Juergen Hartig

Hans-Martin Weitz

Rolf Platz

Laszlo Marosi

Guenter Herrmann

Ludwig Vogel

Armin Stoessel

Rolf Schnabel

Eckhard Hetzel

Ekhart Lucas

Franz Merger

Wolfgang Harder

Gerald Neubauer

Josef Ritz

Martin Brudermueller

Dieter Franz

Helmuth Grube

A process for preparing mixtures of 3-aminopropionitrile of the formula I

Preparation of mixtures of 3-aminopropionitrile and ethylene cyanohydrin

Reaction mixtures which contain cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone and cyclohexyl hydroperoxide and are obtained in the oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen, or with a gas containing this, in the liquid phase are worked up by a process in which the reaction mixture is hydrogenated in the presence of a noble metal catalyst at elevated temperatures and under superatmospheric pressure, the resulting mixture is treated with an aqueous alkali metal carbonate solution, and cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone are separated off by distillation.

Working up reaction mixtures containing cyclohexanol cyclohexanone and

Cyclohexyl hydroperoxide containing reaction mixtures obtained by oxidation of cyclohexane with molecular oxygen or molecular oxygen containing gases in the liquid phase at from 130.degree. to 200.degree. C. and under from 5 to 125 bar are worked up by reaction with cycloolefins at elevated temperature in the presence of catalysts to react cyclohexyl hydroperoxide with cyclohexene at elevated temperatures in the presence of cyclohexene-soluble compounds of transition metals of groups 4 or 5 or 6 of the periodic table or of one or more cyclohexane-insoluble compounds of a transition metal of group 4 or 5 or 6, or in the presence of selenium, tellurium or a boride, and the resulting cyclohexene oxide at elevated temperatures to cyclohexanol in the presence of hydrogenation catalysts.

Working up cyclohexyl hydroperoxide containing reaction mixtures

Reaction mixtures which contain cyclohexyl hydroperoxide, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone and are obtained by oxidizing cyclohexane with molecular oxygen, or a gas containing this, in the liquid phase at from 130.degree. to 200.degree. C. under from 5 to 25 bar are worked up by treatment with an aqueous alkali solution in the presence of a cobalt salt at elevated temperatures by an improved process wherein a phosphonic acid compound of the formula ##STR1## where X is alkylene or 2 to 6 carbon atoms, R.sub.1 is --CH.sub.2 PO.sub.3 H and R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 may be identical or different and are each --CH.sub.2 PO.sub.3 H, --CH.sub.2 OH, hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, is concomitantly used.

Working up reaction mixtures containing cyclohexyl hydro-peroxide,

Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone are prepared by treating cyclohexyl hydroperoxide with a supported catalyst containing from 2 to 30% by weight, calculated as cobalt, of cobalt in oxidic form, at from 30.degree. to 160.degree. C., by a process wherein a zeolite is used as the carrier.

Preparation of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone

Supported catalysts containing from 2 to 30% by weight, calculated as cobalt, of cobalt in oxidic form on a zeolite carrier, and their preparation.

Cobalt-containing supported catalysts and their preparation

A process for the preparation of butenediol diacetate by reacting butadiene with oxygen and acetic acid or with a compound which liberates acetic acid under the reaction conditions, over a solid catalyst which contains a platinum metal and one or more elements of main group 5 or 6, in the presence of butanediol diacetate, butanediol monoacetate, butanediol or a mixture of these, and the use of the butenediol diacetate, thus obtained, to prepare butane-1,4-diol by hydrogenating and then hydrolyzing the diacetate.

Preparation of butenediol diacetates and of butanediol

A process for the preparation of tetrahydrofuran by heating a carboxylic acid diester of butane-1,4-diol in the gas phase at above about 160.degree. C. in the presence of an aluminum oxide catalyst which is obtained by drying, at 70.degree.-120.degree. C., an aluminum hydroxide gel which has been precipitated from an aqueous aluminum sulfate solution by means of a basic agent.

Preparation of tetrahydrofuran

In a process for the manufacture of butenediol-dicarboxylic acid esters by reacting butadiene with oxygen and a carboxylic acid in the presence of a noble metal catalyst containing platinum or palladium, the carboxylic acid is added to the reaction mixture in the form of the ester of the acid with a low molecular weight aliphatic alcohol such as methanol and the reaction is carried out under conditions under which the ester undergoes hydrolysis, or the hydrolysis is carried out before the main reaction. This enables the carboxylic acid obtained on further processing of the butenediol esters to be recycled.

Manufacture of butenediol diesters

Alkylene glycol dicarboxylates are obtained by reacting carboxylic acid esters of monohydric or polyhydric aliphatic short-chain alcohols with an olefin and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst, a hydrolyzing agent and water.

Manufacture of glycol esters

Diesters of olefinically unsaturated 1,2- and/or 1,4-diols are prepared by reacting a conjugated diolefin, oxygen and a fatty acid, in the gas phase or liquid phase, over a solid catalyst which contains palladium and/or platinum and a further metal, which has an atomic number of from 21 to 30, from 39 to 48 or from 57 to 80, but is not a platinum metal, the catalyst having been obtained by reduction of compounds, applied to a carrier, of platinum and/or palladium and the further metal, and heating at 400.degree. C. or above.

Preparation of diesters of olefinically unsaturated 1,2 and/or 1,4-diols

Carboxylic acid esters of vicinal glycols are prepared by oxidizing olefins with oxygen in the presence of carboxylic acids and of halogen and tellurium salts as catalysts, the reaction being carried out in vessels and apparatus consisting of, or lined with, zirconium or alloys of not less than 80% by weight of zirconium, the remainder being tin and/or hafnium.

Preparation of carboxylic acid esters of vicinal glycols

Diacetates of 1,2-glycols are manufactured by reacting acetic acid with an olefin and oxygen, using oxygen dissolved in the liquid phase of the reaction mixture and avoiding the presence of gaseous oxygen in the reaction space.

Manufacture of glycol acetate

Propylene oxide is prepared by elimination of acetic acid from propylene glycol monoacetates in the presence of a base. In contrast to the conventional elimination of acetic acid in the gas phase, the present reaction is carried out in the liquid phase in a high-boiling solvent. Because of the smaller reaction space required, the reaction in the liquid phase is simpler.

Manufacture of propylene oxide

Butenediol diacetate is manufactured by reaction of butadiene, oxygen and acetic acid over a palladium or platinum catalyst, only liquid, and no gases, being present in the reaction chamber.

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Gruenstadt, Germany

Juergen Hartig