Union Carbide Corporation

Moinuddin Ahmed

Charles A Gibson

James R Nelson

Michael Habenschuss

A continuous process is provided for preparing alkanolamines having a high yield of monoalkanolamine, which comprises continuously reacting a flowing stream of a homogeneous mixture of an alkylene oxide having from two to four carbon atoms and ammonia in a molar ratio of ammonia to alkylene oxide within the range from about 15:1 to about 50:1 at temperatures above the critical temperature of the mixture and at pressures above the critical pressure of the mixture and maintaining the mixture in a single phase having a density of at least 15 lbs./cu.ft. for the time necessary to form an alkanolamine product mixture containing at least about 65% by weight monoalkanolamine.

Continuous process for preparing alkanolamines

A process is provided for preparing alkanolamines having a high yield of monoalkanolamine which comprises reacting in a reaction mixture an alkylene oxide having from two to four carbon atoms with ammonia in a molar ratio of ammonia to alkylene oxide within the range from about 15.1 to about 50.1 at temperatures above the critical temperature of the reaction mixture and at pressures above the critical pressure of the reaction mixture and high enough to maintain the reaction mixture at sufficiently high fluid densities.

Process for preparing alkanolamines

This invention provides for the separation of an amine composition undergoing processing at high temperatures and pressures which amine composition contains volatile components and less volatile components where the volatile components are desirable for further processing and/or utilization and the less volatile components are less desirable for further processing and/or utilization. The separation serves to divide the amine composition into two streams, one which is enriched in the volatile components and the other which is enriched in the less volatile components.

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South Charleston, WV, United States of America

Moinuddin Ahmed