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:
Mar. 15, 1994
Filed:
Mar. 31, 1993
BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen, DE;
Abstract
A process for preparing formic acid by thermal cleavage of quaternary ammonium formates of the general formula I ##STR1## where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are C.sub.1 - to C.sub.14 -alkyl, C.sub.3 - to C.sub.8 -cycloalkyl, aryl or C.sub.7 - to C.sub.16 -aralkyl, or together are 1,4- or 1,5-alkylene which is unsubstituted or substituted one to four times by C.sub.1 -to C.sub.4 -alkyl, with the proviso that the sum of the carbon atoms of R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 in the quaternary ammonium formates I is 7 to 40, comprises carrying out the cleavage in the presence of secondary formamides of the general formula II ##STR2## where R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are C.sub.2 - to C.sub.10 -alkyl, C.sub.3 - to C.sub.8 -cycloalkyl, aryl or C.sub.7 - to C.sub.16 -aralkyl, or together are 1,4- or 1,5-alkylene which is unsubstituted or substituted one to four times by C.sub.1 - to C.sub.4 -alkyl, which formamides boil 30.degree. to 150.degree. C. lower than the tertiary amine of the general formula III ##STR3## where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 have the abovementioned meanings, contained in the formate I.