Production of 1, 4-dichlorobutane

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF 1,4DICHLOROBUTANE COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS TETRAHYDROFURAN AN SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS HLYDROGEN CHLORIDE IN A MOLE RATIO OF ABOUT 1:2 INTO THE BOTTOM OF A LIQUID MIXTURE COMPRISING A LARGE EXCESS OF 2/ TO 45% BY WEIGHT HYDROGEN CHLORIDE IN WATER AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE 150* TO 150* C. AND AN AUTOGENOUS PRESSUR OF 50 TO 150 P.S.I.G. IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCSE OF A CATALYST, WHILE CONTINUOUSLY DECANTING REACTION PRODUCT IN THE FORM OF AN NON-AQUEOUS UPPER PHASE CONTAINING 1,4-DICHLOROBUTANE AS ITS MAJOR CONSTITUENT AND AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING APPROXIMATELY ONE MOLECULAR PROPORTION OF WATER PER MOLE OF 1,4DICHLOROBUTANE IN SAID NON-AQUEOUS PHASE AND NOT LESS THAN 20% HYLDROGEN CHLORIDE BY WEIGHT, SUFFICIENT HYDROGEN CHLORIDE BEING FED TO THE REACTOR SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE CONTENT OF THE AQUEOUS PHASE IN THE AFORESAID RANGE.