Exxon Research and Engineering Company

The University of Akron

Kuo L Peng

Joseph P Kennedy

Alexis A Oswald

Frank J Chen

Ramon L Espino

A multistep process is disclosed for the manufacture of synthetic lubricants from the C.sub.8 to C.sub.24 linear olefin components of below liquid fuel value petroleum distillate fractions derived via the high temperature thermal cracking of petroleum residua. Such feeds contain major amounts of 1-n-olefins, n-paraffins and greater than 0.1% concentration of sulfur mostly in the form aromatic, thiophene type sulfur compounds. In the first step of the present process such feeds are enriched in the straight chain aliphatic hydrocarbon components by one or more separation processes, preferably via urea adduction or by crystallization. In the second step, the olefin components are oligomerized to sulfur containing C.sub.30 to C.sub.60 polyolefins, preferably in the presence of BF.sub.3 complex catalysts. In the third step, the polyolefins are hydrogenated to novel isoparaffin lubricants in the presence of sulfur resistant catalysts, preferably transition metal sulfides.

Multistep process for the manufacture of novel polyolefin lubricants

A method of treating a hydrocarbon containing a tertiary chloroalkyl groups to convert it to an allylic lithium by dehydrochlorinating the above either simultaneously or sequentially, to first dehydrochlorinate the compound to form a terminal unsaturation and then converting it to an allylic lithium derivative. Alkyl lithium is used to generate the allylic lithium derivative alone or with a complexing agent. The complexing agents are ethers, such as tetrahydrofuran, diamines with diethyldiamino ethane being a preferred one, and t-buOK. The solvents used are tetrahydrofuran, the cycloalkanes such a cyclohexane and the alkanes such as hexanes, pentanes and heptanes.

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Edison, NJ, United States of America

Kuo L Peng