Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for preparing diols by hydrogenating a mixture comprising carboxylic acid, carboxylic anhydrides and/or carboxylic esters/lactones by means of a cobalt-comprising catalyst, wherein alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal ions are added to the hydrogenation feed, excluding alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal ions of mineral acids.
Abstract:
The invention relates to an apparatus for separating a liquid substance mixture by distillation, a method for producing a tetrahydrofuran homopolymer and copolymer in which the oligomers in a liquid starting mixture containing oligomers are separated by distillation in such an apparatus, tetrahydrofuran homopolymers and copolymers which can be obtained using said method and have a narrow distribution of the relative molar mass, and the use thereof.
Abstract:
The iron-containing catalyst suitable for use as a catalyst contains a) iron or a mixture containing iron and an iron-based compound. The iron has an average crystallite size ranging from 1-35 nm measured by X-ray diffraction.
Abstract:
A process for reducing the level of an aliphatic monounsaturated amine (IV) in a mixture (V) containing an aminonitrile (I) or a diamine (II) or a dinitrile (III) or mixtures thereof as well as said mine (IV) by a) reacting said mixture (V) with an anionic nucleophile (VI) which contains a nucleophilic atom selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur, which is capable of taking up an H+ ion to form an acid having a pKa value in the range from 7 to 11, as measured in water at 25° C., and which has a relative nucleophilicity, as measured in methyl perchlorate/methanol at 25° C., in the range from 3.4 to 4.7 when said nucleophilic atom is oxygen, in the range from 4.5 to 5.8 when said nucleophilic atom is nitrogen, and in the range from 5.5 to 6.8 when said nucleophilic atom is sulfur, in an amount in the range from 0.01 to 10 mol per mole of said amine (IV) in said mixture (V) at a temperature in the range from 50 to 200° C. to obtain a mixture (VII), b) distilling said aminonitrile (I) or said diamine (II) or said dinitrile (III) or mixtures thereof from said mixture (VII) at a temperature in the range from 50 to 200° C. and at a pressure in the range from 0.1 to 100 kPa to obtain a bottom product (VIII), which comprises c) distilling an aminonitrile (I) or diamine (II) or dinitrile (III) or mixtures thereof from said bottom product (VIII) at a temperature which is lower than that chosen in step b).
Abstract:
Crude water-containing tetrahydrofuran is purified by passing the crude tetrahydrofuran through three distillation columns, withdrawing water from the bottom of the first column, recycling water-containing tetrahydrofuran from the top of the second column into the first column, passing a sidestream of the first column into the second column, recycling the bottom product of the third column into the first column, and withdrawing a distillate at the top of the first column. Additionally, a sidestream of the second column is passed into the third column and the purified tetrahydrofuran is recovered as the top product of the third column.
Abstract:
Optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol is prepared from C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof by: a) a gas stream of the C4-dicarboxylic acid or the derivative thereof in a first reactor in the gas phase to obtain a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted γ-butyro-lactone; b) removing succinic anhydride from the product of step a); c) catalytically hydrogenating the product of step b) in a second reactor in the gas phase to obtain optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol; d) removing the desired product from intermediates, by-products and any unconverted reactants; and e) optionally recycling unconverted intermediates into one or both hydrogenation stages. The catalysts employed in each of the hydrogenation stages comprise ≦95% by weight of CuO, and ≦5% by weight of an oxidic support, and the second reactor has a higher pressure than the first reactor.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for preparing optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol by two-stage catalytic hydrogenation in the gas phase of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof having the following steps: a) introducing a gas stream of a C4-dicarboxylic acid or of a derivative thereof at from 200 to 300° C. and from 2 to 60 bar into a first reactor and catalytically hydrogenating it to a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted γ-butyrolactone; b) converting the product stream into the liquid phase; c) introducing the product stream obtained in this way into a second reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 240° C. and a pressure of from 20 to 250 bar and catalytically hydrogenating it in the liquid phase to optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol; d) removing the desired product from by-products and any unconverted reactants; e) optionally recycling unconverted intermediates into one or both hydrogenation stages, said hydrogenation stages both using a catalyst which comprises ≦95% by weight, preferably from 5 to 95% by weight, in particular from 10 to 80% by weight, of CuO, and ≧5% by weight, preferably from 5 to 95% by weight, in particular from 20 to 90% by weight, of a support, said second reactor having a higher pressure than said first reactor, and the product mixture removed from said first reactor being introduced without further purification into said second reactor.
Abstract:
A process for continuously preparing 2-pyrrolidone by reacting gamma-butyrolactone with ammonia in the liquid phase in the presence of water, wherein the reaction is carried out at a temperature of from 275 to 300° C. and an absolute pressure of from 140 to 180 bar.
Abstract:
A process for purifying crude caprolactam which has been obtained by 1) converting a mixture (I) comprising 6-aminocapronitrile and water to a mixture (II) comprising caprolactam, ammonia, water, high boilers and low boilers in the presence of a catalyst, then 2) removing ammonia from mixture (II) to obtain a mixture (III) comprising caprolactam, water, high boilers and low boilers, then 3) completely or partly removing water from mixture (III) to obtain crude caprolactam (IV) comprising caprolactam, high boilers and low boilers, which comprises a) feeding the crude caprolactam and an inorganic acid which has a boiling point above the boiling point of caprolactam under the distillation conditions of the following steps b) to h) to a first distillation apparatus C1, b) distilling the crude caprolactam and the inorganic acid in the first distillation apparatus C1, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and a second substream in the top region of the distillation apparatus C1, c) feeding the second substream from step b) to a second distillation apparatus C2, d) distilling the second substream from step b) in the second distillation apparatus C2, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and a second substream in the top region of the distillation apparatus C2, e) feeding the first substream from step d) to a third distillation apparatus C3, f) distilling the first substream from d) in the third distillation apparatus C3, and removing a first substream in the bottom region and purified caprolactam in the top region of distillation apparatus C3, and g) feeding the first substream from step f) to the first distillation apparatus C1.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for preparing optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol by two-stage catalytic hydrogenation in the gas phase of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof having the following steps: a) introducing a gas stream of a C4-dicarboxylic acid or of a derivative thereof at from 200 to 300° C. and from 2 to 60 bar into a first reactor and catalytically hydrogenating it to a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted 7-butyrolactone; b) converting the product stream into the liquid phase; c) introducing the product stream obtained in this way into a second reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 240° C. and a pressure of from 20 to 250 bar and catalytically hydrogenating it in the liquid phase to optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol; d) removing the desired product from by-products and any unconverted reactants; e) optionally recycling unconverted intermediates into one or both hydrogenation stages, said hydrogenation stages both using a catalyst which comprises ≦95% by weight, preferably from 5 to 95% by weight, in particular from 10 to 80% by weight, of CuO, and ≧5% by weight, preferably from 5 to 95% by weight, in particular from 20 to 90% by weight, of a support, said second reactor having a higher pressure than said first reactor, and the product mixture removed from said first reactor being introduced without further purification into said second reactor.