Preparation of methyl chloride

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR MAKING METHYL CHLORIDE WHICH COMPRISES (1) INTRODUCING METHANOL AND AQUEOUS HCL OF FROM 5 TO 35 PERCENT WEIGHT CONCENTRATION INTO AN AQUEOUS ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION, (2) REMOVING THE FORMED VOLATILE MATERIALS COMPRISING METHYL CHLORIDE WHICH IS PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO AT LEAST 50%, BY WEIGHT, OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE HCL AND METHANOL, AND UNREACTED HCL AND METHANOL, (3) INTRODUCING THE VOLATILE MIXTURE OF INGREDIENTS DESCRIBED IN (2) INTO ANOTHER AQUEOUS ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION, (4) REMOVING THE VOLATILE PRODUCTS THEREBY OBTAINED COMPRISING AN INCREASED YIELD OF METHYL CHLORIDE OVER THAT OBTAINED IN STEP (1), (5) RECYCLING A MIXTURE OF HCL, METHANOL AND WATER OBTAINED FROM THE VOLATILE MATERIALS OF STEP (4) AND CONTAINING ENTRAINED ZINC CHLORIDE TO THE FIRST ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION, EACH AQUEOUS ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION HAVING A WEIGHT CONCENTRATION OF FROM 65-75% AND THE TEMPERATURE OF EACH ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 115-145*C., THE RATE OF THROUGHPUT OF THE FEED COMPRISING THE METHANOL AND AQUEOUS HC1 BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM 4 TO 10 MOLS OF THE FEED PER MOL OF ZINC CHLORIDE IN EACH ZINC CHLORIDE SOLUTION PER HOUR, AND (6) RECOVERING THE FORMED METHYL CHLORIDE.