Occidental Chemical Corporation

Mark F Lechner

Dean R Lagerwall

Pravin M Khandare

Hang-Chang Bobby Chen

David Y Tang

Viesturs Lesins

Mark E Lindrose

Arthur H Morth

Daniel R Thielen

William L Rueter

Frank P Bermel

A method of making a benzoyl halide is disclosed. Into a reactor is placed a reaction mixture of a benzotrihalide and a benzaldehyde having the respective general formulas

Method of making benzoyl halides and nitriles

Disclosed is a method of increasing the percentage of certain isomers made when di or tri-substituted benzenes are chlorinated in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst. The use of about 0.001 to about 1 wt % a cocatalyst during chlorination alters the isomeric ratio of the product mixture. In particular, the percentage of the 2,5-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is ortho or meta-substituted, the percentage of the 3,4-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is para-substituted, and the percentage of the 2,4,5-isomer is increased when said substituted benzene is 2,4-disubstituted, 3,4-disubstituted, or 2,5-disubstituted.

Method of increasing certain isomeric ratios in chlorinating substituted benzenes

Disclosed is a method of making high purity 2,4- and 3,4-dichlorotoluene from parachlorotoluene that contains some metachlorotoluene. About 0.0001 to about 5 wt % of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst and about 0.5 to about 10 equivalents of a brominating agent are added to the parachlorotoluene. The metachlorotoluene is brominated, but most of the parachlorotoluene is not brominated. Without separating the brominated products from the unbrominated products, about 0.5 to about 1.5 equivalents of a chlorinating agent are added, whereby only the unbrominated products (i.e., the parachlorotoluene) are chlorinated. The resulting 2,4-dichlorotoluene and 3,4-dichlorotoluene can be separated by distillation.

Method of making high purity 2,4- and 3,4-dichlorotoluene

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Sanborn, NY, United States of America

Mark F Lechner