Gaf Corporation

R Parthasarathy

Eugene V Hort

Paritosh M Chakrabarti

The present invention relates to an improved method for the vinylation of pyrrolidone with acetylene in the presence of an alkali metal salt of said pyrrolidone as a catalyst, by the addition of between about 0.2 and about 8 weight-%, based on total feed, of a polyoxyalkylene glycol; a polyoxyalkylene phenol, optionally substituted with an alkyl group; a polyoxyalkylene ether or mixtures thereof; said polyoxyalkylene compound having a number average molecular weight of between about 175 and 2,000 and containing between 4 and 40 oxyethylene and/or oxypropylene units. The invention also pertains to a novel coacting catalyst composition for use in vinylation reactions comprising said alkali metal salt of said pyrrolidone in admixture with said polyoxyalkylene compound.

Vinylation reaction

Alkenes and/or alkadienes are contacted with molecular oxygen and an oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst consisting essentially of silver, molybdenum and oxygen, and at least one promotor selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth.

Catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of alkenes or alkadienes to furan

Alkenes and/or alkadienes are contacted with molecular oxygen and an oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst consisting essentially of silver, molybdenum and oxygen, with the silver-to-molybdenum atom ratio being in the range of about 0.25:1 to about 10:1 to produce furan compounds.

Oxidative dehydrogenation of alkenes or alkadienes to furan compounds

Solid catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of alkenes or alkadienes

Alkenes and/or alkadienes are contacted with molecular oxygen and an oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst consisting essentially of silver, phosphorus and oxygen, with the silver-to-phosphorus atom ratio being in the range of about 0.25:1 to about 10:1 to produce furan compounds.

Unsaturated glycol diesters are prepared at high reaction rates, high degrees of conversion and high selectivity, by reacting a conjugated diene, a carboxylic acid and oxygen, in the presence of an improved active solid catalyst, in the liquid phase. The improved catalyst of the invention comprises palladium containing thorium as a promotor. In the preferred embodiment, butadiene and acetic acid are reacted with oxygen to produce the desired 1,4-diacetoxy-2-butene at high conversions and selectivity.

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Wayne, NJ, United States of America

R Parthasarathy