Cyclohexanone

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR CATALYTICALLY HYDROGENATING PHENOL TO CYCLOHEXANONE WITH CONCOMITANT FORMATION OF BY-PRODUCT CYCLOHEXANOL AND SEPARATION AND REMOVAL OF THE BY-PRODUCT CYCLOHEXANOL FROM UNREACTED PHENOL WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING HYDROGEN INTO A MIXTURE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 100-200* C. OF CYCLOHEXANONE, PHENOL AND CYCLOHEXANOL IN THE PRESENCE OF A PALLADIUM CATALYST, SAID MIXTURE COMPRISING 30-80% BY WEIGHT OF THE PHENOL, TO 10-40% BY WEIGHT PHENOL AND AN AMOUNT OF CYCLOHEXANOL IN EXCESS OF 39% BY WEIGHT OF THE PHENOL, TO CATALYTICALLY HYDROGENATE THE PHENOL TO CYCLOHEXANONE WITH CONCOMITANT FORMATION OF A SMALL AMOUNT OF BYPRODUCT CYCLOHEXANOL, CONTINUOSLY WITHDRWING FROM SAID MIXTURE CRUDE PRODUCT COMPRISING CYCLOHEXANONE, UNREACTED PHENOL AND CYCLOHEXANOL, CONTINOUSLY INTRODUCING PHENOL AND CYCLOHEXANOL INTO SAID MIXTURE TO MAINTAIN THE CONCENTRATION OF CYCLOHEXANONE AT 30-80%, THE CONCENTRATION OF PHENOL AT 10-40% AND THE CONCEN-NTRATION OF CYCLOHEXANOL IN EXCESS OF 39% BY WEIGHT OF THE PHENOL, SUBJECTING THE CRUDE PRODUCT TO RECTIFICATION UNDEER SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO REMOVE AS VAPOR SUBSTANTIALLY PURE CYCLOHEXANONE AND LEAVE AS BOTTOMS A MIXTURE OF PHENOL AND CYCLOHEXANOL, SUBJECTING SAID BOTTOMS TO A SECOND RECTIFICATION UNDER SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO REMOVE AS VAPOR CYCLOHEXANOL UNCONTAMINATED BY PHENOL, AND RETURNING BOTTOMS CONTAINING UNREACTED PHENOL FROM THE SECOND RECTIFICATION FOR FURTHER HYDROGENATION TO CYCLOHEXANONE.