Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Atlantic Richfield Company

Arco Chemical Technology, L.p.

Yasuhiko Higashio

Hiroshi Kajikuri

Keisuke Sugita

Masanobu Matsubara

Masahiro Usui

Hideki Doi

Kazuteru Takahashi

Masaru Kitamura

Mitsuhisa Tamura

Takashi Deguchi

Kazuhiro Yamauchi

Masashi Araki

Masayoshi Morimoto

Mikio Hirai

A process for producing a high purity caprolactam is disclosed in which a crude caprolactam obtained by a catalytic rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime is subjected (1) to mixing, while stirring, with at least one hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and alicyclic hydrocarbons to form a liquid-liquid, two-layer liquid mixture, and then crystallizing caprolactam out of the liquid mixture; (2) to mixing with both at least one hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbons and alicyclic hydrocarbons, and water to form a liquid mixture, separating the liquid mixture into a hydrocarbon layer and a water layer, and then recovering caprolactam from the water layer; or (3) to distillation in the co-presence of at least one aliphatic saturated hydrocarbon of 10 to 18 carbon atoms.

Process for producing a high purity caprolactam

A process for producing a high purity caprolactam is disclosed in which a crude caprolactam obtained by a catalytic rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime is subjected

Thermal decomposition of cycloalkanone oximes is inhibited by allowing nitrogen-containing compounds represented by the following formula (1) to coexist with the cycloalkanone oximes:

Method for inhibiting thermal decomposition of cycloalkanone oximes

.epsilon.-Caprolactam is prepared by subjecting cyclohexanone oxime in a gas phase to a catalytic reaction using zeolite catalysts in the presence of water and at least one compound selected from alcohols and ether compounds.

Process for producing epsilon-caprolactam

A process for production of sec-butylbenzene is disclosed, comprising reacting benzene and n-butene in the presence of a liquid aluminum chloride complex catalyst is disclosed, wherein the reaction is carried out under conditions satisfying formulae (1) to (4):

Process for production of sec-butylbenzene

A process for production of sec-butylbenzene from benzene and n-butene in the presence of a liquid aluminum chloride complex catalyst is disclosed, wherein the amount of aluminum chloride used as a component of the complex catalyst is from 0.3 to 5 wt % of the benzene used, the reaction temperature is from 20.degree. to 90.degree. C., and the weight ratio of isobutylbenzene formed as a by-product to sec-butylbenzene formed is not more than 0.01:1.

Production of novel hydrocarbon-soluble salts, especially adapted for use as catalysts in the epoxidation of olefinic compounds with an organic hydroperoxide, by reaction of an ammonium molybdate with a carboxylic acid in the presence of an organic amine at specified elevated temperatures while removing water.

Production of hydrocarbon-soluble salts of molybdenum for epoxidation of

2,5-Dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene which is an intermediate for preparing agricultural chemicals, insecticides or medicines, is prepared by bringing isobutylene and/or tert.-butyl alcohol into contact with isobutyl aldehyde in a gaseous phase at a temperature of 150.degree.-350.degree. C. in the presence of a niobic acid catalyst.

Production of 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene

A selective hydrogenation method for highly saturated hydrocarbons by bringing a mixture of hydrocarbons of low hydrogenation degree having 4 or more carbon atoms containing the highly saturated hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst using a fixed bed reaction vessel, which comprises supplying a hydrogen gas in a state of plural splits along the flow direction of the fixed bed reaction vessel is disclosed. In accordance with this mehtod, only the highly unsaturated hydrocarbons are selectively hydrogenated without being accompanied by isomerization of olefins.

Selective hydrogenation method for hydrocarbons

A method of purification of crude .beta.-phenylethyl alcohol to give a highly pure .beta.-phenylethyl alcohol suitable as a perfume, which comprises subjecting the crude .beta.-phenylethyl alcohol to azeotropic distillation in the presence of an azeotropic solvent selected from water, an alkylene glycol, an alkylene glycol monoalkyl ether and a mixture of two or more kinds of these solvents, or extractive distillation in the presence of an extractive solvent selected from glycerine, an alkylene glycol, a polyalkylene glycol, an alkylene glycol monoalkyl ether, a polyalkylene glycol monoalkyl ether and a mixture of two or more kinds of these solvents.

Method of purification of .beta.-phenylethyl alcohol

The viscosity of a solution of graft copolymer resulting from solution graft copolymerization is greatly reduced, and the handling characteristics are improved, by adding water and a suspending agent to the solution to form a suspension. E.g., to a reaction solution resulting from grafting of styrene and acrylonitrile on EPDM in solution, there is added 20 parts water and 0.1 part polyvinyl alcohol, and the mixture is agitated to produce a low-viscosity suspension.

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Osaka, Japan

Yasuhiko Higashio