Carbamates, their production and use as fuels additives

Abstract

A process for the production of a carbamate suitable for use as a detergent additive to internal combustion engine fuels which process comprises reacting either ammonia, a primary amime or a secondary amine with a dihydrocarbyl carbonate in the presence as catalyst of a strong organic base and in the proportions necessary to produce either a mono-carbamate or a bis-carbamate. A process for the production of a carbamate having formula (I), wherein X and Y are independently either hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group or a hetero-substituted hydrocarbyl group or the group of formula (II), wherein Z is either a divalent hydrocarbyl, a substituted hydrocarbyl group or the group of formula (III) [alkytene)m(NH)n(alkylene)m] in which n=0 to 4 and m=1 to 4, and R is a hydrocarbly or substituted hydrocarbyl group, provided that if either one of X or Y is the group of formula (II), the other of X or Y is hydrogen, which process comprises reacting a compound of formula (IV), wherein X and Y are independently either hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl group or a hetero-substituted hydrocarbyl group with a dihydrocarbyl carbonate having formula (V), wherein independently R is as defined above in the presence as catalyst of a strong organic base and in the proportions necessary to produce either a mono-carbamate or a bis-carbamate.