The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 23, 1983
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1981
Margaret I Nemet-Mavrodin, Robbinsville, NJ (US);
John F White, Princeton, NJ (US);
Atlantic Richfield Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
The present invention provides a novel method for recovering 2-phenylethanol which is produced as a by-product of non-catalytic air oxidation of ethylbenzene, and as a by-product, in the ethylbenzene hydroperoxide epoxidation of an olefinically unsaturated compound, e.g., propylene, to the corresponding alkylene oxide, e.g., propylene oxide. In such processes, 2-phenylethanol accumulates in a process stream typically comprising major proportions of methylbenzyl alcohol, ethylbenzene, alkylene oxide and acetophenone. Conventional distillation-separation procedures may remove most of the alkylene oxide and ethylbenzene, leaving a process stream which is eventually used for styrene monomer production which contains minor amounts, i.e., less than about 20 weight percent, of 2-phenylethanol. The present invention provides a novel method of recovering 2-phenylethanol from that process stream prior to its conversion to other by-products in the dehydration and hydrogenation steps which are utilized to produce styrene monomer. The present invention provides a 2-phenylethanol removal method comprising the preparation of a 2-phenylethanol feed stream having a methylbenzyl alcohol concentration of between about 10 and 70 weight percent, and a 2-phenylethanol concentration of between about 20 and 80 weight percent. This prepared feed stream is then diluted with an organic diluent, such as ethylbenzene, and is subjected to a metal halide addition which results in the formation of an insoluble 2-phenylethanol metal halide complex which is separated, washed and decomposed to produce a crude 2-phenylethanol product, which may be distilled to remove residual diluent to provide a high purity 2-phenylethanol product exhibiting superior fragrance qualities.