Method of preparing 1,2-dichloroethane from ethylene and chlorine gas

Abstract

In this method of producing 1,2-dichloroethane from ethylene and chlorine gas in an approximately equimolar ratio at reaction pressures between 2 and 20 bar, at ethylene dichloride boiling temperatures between 105.degree. and 225.degree. C., in the presence of catalysts acting as Lewis acids, the catalyst-free ethylene dichloride vapors produced in the evaporative cooling are withdrawn and then condensed and cooled, and liquid catalyst-containing ethylene dichloride is also withdrawn separately. All of the gaseous chlorine input, having a purity of about 90 to 100% by volume, is introduced into a condensed and cooled circulating stream of ethylene dichloride. The ethylene dichloride stream containing chlorine is brought to the reaction pressure, and then catalyst-containing ethylene dichloride withdrawn from the reactor is admixed. The ethylene dichloride stream, containing chlorine and catalyst, is heated while the catalyst-free ethylene dichloride stream is cooled, and from the latter the end product ethylene dichloride is taken as a partial stream. An ethylene partial stream is fed into the downward stream of the reactor. The downward stream, upon contact with a main input of ethylene introduced at the bottom of the reactor at a mass rate between 30 and 200 kg/sec.multidot.m.sup.2 is reversed into an upward stream forming a highly disperse gas-liquid phase.