Process for the manufacture of organic acids

Claim 2

IN A PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING LOWER ALIPHATIC ACIDS BY A PROCEDURE COMPRISING REACTING AN OLEFIN, CARBON MONOXIDE AND WATER AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF 200*C. TO 250*C. AND 2,000 TO 4,000 P. S. I. AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN AQUEOUS COBALT-CONTAINING CATALYST LIQUID OF .025 TO 1.0 NORMALITY AS RESPECTS THE COBALT COMPONENT, THE PROCESS BEING CHARACTERIZED IN THAT SAID CATALYST LIQUID IS PREPARED BY INCORPORATING A COBALT SALT OF A LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID IN AN AQUEOUS SOLVENT THEREFOR, ACTIVATING THE RESULTANT SOLUTION WITH CARBON MONOXIDE, SEPARATING ANY SOLIDS THEREFROM AND EMPLOYING THE RESULTANT SOLID-FREE LIQUID AS THE CATALYST LIQUID OF .025 TO 1.0 NORMALITY AFOREMENTIONED.

Claim 3

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE LIQUID PHASE REACTION OF OLEFIN, CARBON MONOXIDE AND WATER TO PRODUCE A LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES CONTINOUSLY PRESSING CARBON MONOXIDE AND OLEFIN AT PRESSURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF 3,000 TO 4,000 P. S. I. INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF A COLUMN OF AQUEOUS CATALYST SOLUTION CONTAINING A COBALT CONCENTRATION BETWEEN .025 N. AND 1.0 N., SAID COBALT CATALYST IN THE FORM OF COBALT DERIVED FROM A COBALT SALT OF A LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID, SAID CATALYST SOLUTION BEING AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 200*C. TO 250*C., REMOVING EFFLUENT GASES FROM THE COLUMN HEAD, SCRUBBING THE REMOVED GASES TO SEPARATE ANY CARBON DIOXIDE, SUPPLYING FURTHER OLEFIN AND CARBON MONOXIDE TO THE SCRUBBED GASES FOR MAKE-UP, RECYCLING, THE MADE-UP GASES TO THE START OF THE PROCESS, SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE AFORESAID STEPS WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE REACTION, TREATING SAID LIQUID TO REMOVE LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID THEREFROM AND LEAVE A RESIDUE LIQUID CONTAINING CATALYST, RECONDITIONING THIS RESIDUE LIQUID WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND RETURNING THE RECONDITIONED CATALYST LIQUID INTO THE REACTION.

Claim 4

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE LIQUID PHASE REACTION OF OLEFIN, CARBON MONOXIDE AND WATER TO PRODUCE A LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES CONTINOUSLY PRESSING CARBON MONOXIDE AND OLEFIN AT PRESSURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF 3,000 TO 4,000 P. S. I. INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF A COLUMN OF AQUEOUS CATALYST SOLUTION CONTAINING A COBALT CONCENTRATION BETWEEN .025 N. AND 1.0 N., SAID COBALT CATALYST IN THE FORM OF COBALT DERIVED FROM A COBALT SALT OF A LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID, SAID CATALYST SOLUTION BEING AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 200*C. TO 250*C., REMOVING EFFLUENT GASES FROM THE COLUMN HEAD, SCRUBBING THE REMOVED GASES TO SEPARATE ANY CARBON DIOXIDE, SUPPLYING FURTHER OLEFIN AND CARBON MONOXIDE TO THE SCRUBBED GASES FOR MAKE-UP, RECYCLING, THE MADE-UP GASES TO THE START OF THE PROCESS, SUBSTANTIALLY SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE AFORESAID STEPS WITHDRAWING LIQUID FROM THE REACTION, TREATING SAID LIQUID TO REMOVE LOWER ALIPHATIC ACID THEREFROM AND LEAVE A RESIDUE LIQUID CONTAINING CATALYST, RECONDITIONING THIS RESIDUE LIQUID WITH CARBON MONOXIDE AND RETURNING THE RECONDITIONED CATALYST LIQUID INTO THE REACTION.