Shell Oil Comapny

Paul V Shaw

James Laurel Buechele

Walter Dong

Eugene F Lutz

Larry Wayne Payne

Edward Lewis Nielsen

Charles E Sanborn

A process for the preparation of crystals of an adduct of a bisphenol with a phenol which comprises:

Method of purifying bisphenols

A process for the continuous purification of crude bisphenol which comprises (1) forming a single liquid phase comprising a hot mixture of crude bisphenol and water in a ratio substantially of from about 75% to about 85% weight of crude bisphenol to about 15% to about 25% weight water; (2) continuously feeding this mixture together with a stream of warm water to a first crystallization zone at a temperature sufficient to maintain a bisphenol-rich liquid phase, a water-rich phase and a crystalline phase comprising about 70% to about 95% of the total bisphenol in the mixture; (3) passing the three-phase mixture of bisphenol and water to a second crystallization zone operated at about 85.degree. C. to about 97.degree. C. until about 90% to about 99% of the total bisphenol is crystallized; and (4) recovering the purified bisphenol crystals.

Process for continuous purification of bisphenols

A process for the preparation of bisphenols which comprises treating a phenol with a ketone in the presence of a cation exchange resin catalyst and a mercaptan co-catalyst in a reactor or a series of reactors wherein all of the phenol and a portion of the mercaptan is injected into the beginning of the reactor or the first reactor and the remaining mercaptan is injected along the reactor length or in the subsequent reactors whereby cyclic dimers formation is reduced.

Preparation of bisphenols

An improved method for recovery of product alkanol and reactant olefin from a reaction mixture obtained via the sulfation and hydrolysis of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 olefins, which comprise steps for a limited first evaporation of the reaction mixture under alkaline conditions to obtain an alkanol and olefin rich vapor and a liquid containing by-products of the sulfation and hydrolysis reactions, acid wash of the resulting liquid, and a second evaporation of alkanol and olefin from the washed liquid under acidic conditions. In addition to accomplishing separation of alkanol and olefin, the invention enhances selective utilization of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 olefins for production of C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 alkanols.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Paul V Shaw