Gaf Corporation

Isp Investments Inc.

Waldo R De Thomas

Paul D Taylor

Eugene V Hort

Kolazi S Narayanan

Donald W Buchanan, Jr

Heinn F Tomfohrde, Iii

Michael Aversa

Donald Buchanan

This invention relates to an improved polymerization free radical initiator delivery system for the polymerization of monomers containing olefinic unsaturation and to the preparation of the initiator which comprises dissolving a water insoluble free radical initiator and an excess amount of the polymeric product of the reaction in a mutual organic solvent having a boiling point below 140.degree. C., in the presence of between about 1.0 and 100 wt. % of a surfactant based on weight of initiator and mixing the resulting solution to achieve uniform molecular distribution of initiator and polymer molecules in the surfactant/solvent mixture; removing the solvent to provide coprecipitated initiator/polymer microparticles and then diluting the coprecipitated microparticles with water under vigorous agitation to form a microparticle emulsion of low viscosity which is suitable as the initiator feed for contact with monomer in a polymerization reaction.

Free radical initiator delivery system

This invention relates to a process for preparing an improved polymerization free radical initiator delivery system for the polymerization of a monomer containing olefinic unsaturation which comprises uniformly dispersing a water insoluble free radical initiator, an excess amount of the polymeric product of the reaction and between about 1.0 and about 100 wt. % of a surfactant based on initiator in water to form an aqueous mixture containing between about 5 and about 40 wt. % solids; subjecting the dispersion to treatment at a temperature of between about -25.degree. C. and about 0.degree. C. under from about 50 to about 400 milli Tort vacuum for a period of from about 5 to about 24 hours to remove water and to form uniform coprecipitated initiator/polymer microparticles having an average particle diameter of between about 0.001 and about 100 microns and then diluting the coprecipitated microparticles with water under vigorous agitation to form a microparticulate dispersion of low viscosity containing from about 5 to about 40 wt. % solids which is suitable as the initiator feed for contacting said monomer in a polymerization reaction.

Vapor phase catalytic hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to gamma-butyrolactone is achieved in a conversion of 95% or more and a selectivity of 80% or more during a prolonged period of production. The process uses an activated catalyst prepared by reducing a catalyst composition comprising 30-65% by weight of CuO, 18-50% by weight of ZnO and 8-22% by weight of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, and activating the reduced catalyst composition in hydrogen at an activation temperature of at least 400.degree. C., preferably 400.degree. to 525.degree. C., and optimally about 425.degree. C. The process suitably is carried out under predetermined and advantageous process conditions, including a defined molar ratio of hydrogen to maleic anhydride in the vapor reactant stream, a selected pressure during hydrogenation, a defined feed rate space velocity, a predetermined contact time, and a suitable reaction temperature.

Process of vapor phase catalytic hydrogenation of maleic anhydride to

This invention provides a vapor phase process for the production of gamma-butyrolactone and tetrahydrofuran in a predetermined ratio by the steps of: hydrogenating a vapor mixture of maleic anhydride and excess hydrogen over a first bed of a Cu-Zn-Al catalyst, and directly contacting the crude reactor effluent therefrom with hydrogen over a second bed of Cu-Zn-Cr catalyst during a predetermined contact time and at a defined temperature, using selected amounts of catalyst in each bed.

Process for the production of gamma butyrolactone THF in predetermined

This invention relates to a process for the recovery of purified gamma-butyrolactone (BLO) in high yield from its crude reactor effluent containing BLO, tetrahydrofuran (THF), water, the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis product of BLO which is 4-hydroxybutyric acid (4-HBA), light and heavy organic acids, and alcohols. The process is particularly characterized by flash vaporizing a THF-free mixture of BLO, 4-HBA, water, light acids such as butyric acid and propionic acid, and alcohols so that the 4-HBA component is recyclized to form additional BLO. Heavy acids such as succinic acid and maleic acid are removed from the bottom. The total amount of BLO in the vapor stream then is fed to a distillation column where it is condensed; the water, including the water of dehydration, and light acid and alcohol impurities in the distillation are separated overhead from the BLO and removed. This procedure prevents BLO from further acid hydrolysis while the water of dehydration from 4-HBA is recovered.

Process for the recovery of purified gamma-butyrolactone in high yield

Activated catalyst for the vapor phase hydrogenation of maleic anhydride

The invention relates to a novel supported catalyst comprising a combination of metals with nickel as component (a), a metal having an atomic number greater than 43 from Groups VIIB and VIII of the Periodic Table as component (b) and rhenium as component (c) in a weight ratio of (a):(b):(c) of about 10-90:0.05-5:0.03-10 and to the use of the catalyst for high pressure hydrogenation reactions, particularly for the hydrogenation of butanediol product containing aldehyde, butynediol and color forming impurities.

Hydrogenation catalyst

The invention relates to a novel supported catalyst comprising (a) copper, (b) a metal having an atomic weight greater than 100 and selected from Groups VIIB and VIII of the Periodic Table and (c) an alkali metal in a weight ratio of about 8-40:0.05-5:1.5-10 and to the use of the catalyst in the hydrogenation of butyrolactone to 1,4-butanediol.

Hydrogenation process for converting lactones to diols

A process which comprises treating butyrolactone in at least 95% purity with an acid to convert and remove color forming impurities for product stabilization.

Purification of butyrolactone

Hydrogenation catalyst and process for preparing the catalyst

The invention relates to a novel supported catalyst comprising a combination of metals with nickel as component (a), a metal having an atomic number greater than 43 from Group VIII of the Periodic Table as component (b) and rhenium as component (c) in a weight ratio of (a):(b):(c) of about 10-90:0.05-5:0.03-10 and to the use of the catalyst for high pressure hydrogenation reactions, particularly for the hydrogenation of butanediol product containing aldehyde, butynediol and color forming impurities.

Hydrogenation catalyst and process for its preparation

This invention describes a method of regenerating the activity of deactivated supported-nickel catalysts that have lost activity after use as a hydrogenation catalyst in the finishing stage of the process of conversion of butynediol to butanediol. The method comprises contacting said deactivated catalyst with hydrogen at a temperature of about 200.degree. to 500.degree. C. to convert surface polymers to gaseous compounds and removing said gaseous compounds from the vicinity of the thus-treated catalyst. In the preferred form of the invention, in a single step, a slow stream of hydrogen is passed through the deactivated catalyst in situ as a fixed bed and the gaseous compounds are removed simultaneously in the hydrogen stream.

Regeneration of supported-nickel catalysts

2-Pyrrolidone is purified by contact with particulate calcium oxide for a sufficient time at elevated temperatures followed by distilling and condensing the purified 2-pyrrolidone.

Purification of pyrrolidone

This invention relates to catalytic hydrogenation of organic compounds containing carbonyl groups, and, particularly, to the effective and rapid reduction of the carbonyl group to the corresponding hydroxy group, sometimes even very selectively in the presence of a carbon-to-carbon unsaturated group in the same compound, using as a hydrogenation catalyst Raney nickel having molybdenum adsorbed thereon.

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Parsippany, NJ, United States of America

Waldo R De Thomas