Process for preparing vinylaromatic sulfonic acid salts

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MAKING A SALT OF A VINYLAROMATIC SULFONIC ACID BY SULFONATING A B-HALOETHYL AROMATIC COMPOUND CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS IN SOLUTION IN A POLYCHLORINATED ALIPHATIC LIQUID HYDROCARBON BY REACTION WITH APPROXIMATELY 1.0 TO 2.0 TIMES ITS MOLAR EQUIVALENT OF PURIFIED SULFURE TRIOXIDE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT -2:* AND 80* C., HOLDING THE REACTION MIXTURE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT, UP TO ABOUT 4 HOURS, TO OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY THE MAXIMUM YIELD OF RESULTING B-HALOETHYLARYL SULFONIC ACID, ADDING A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER FROM 0.5 TO 5 WEIGHT PERCENT, THEORETICAL SULFONIC ACID BASIS, SUFFICIENT TO HYDROLYZE BY-PRODUCT SULFONIC ACID ANHYDRIDE, ADDING TO THE REACTIN MEDIUM EXCESS AQUEOUS ALKALI OVER THAT REQUIRED TO NEUTRALIZE EXCESS SULFONATION ACID, SULFONIC ACID PRODUCT AND TO NEUTRALIZE HYDROGEN HALIDE WHICH RESULTS FROM DEHYDROHALOGENATION OF THE B-HALOETHYLARYL SULFONIC ACID, IN AMOUNT OF THE ORDER OF 2.1 MOLES OF ALKALI PER MOLE OF ADDED SULFUR TRIOXIDE, WATER PRESENT BEING IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO GIVE THE DESIRED SOLUTION CONCENTRATION OF FINAL PRODUCT, DISTILLING OFF THE POLYCHLORINATED ALIPHATIC LIQUID HYDROCARBON, SEPARATING INSOLUBLE MATTER FROM THE REMAINING MIXTURE OF REACTION MEDIUM AND AQUEOUS ALKALI AND HEATING THE RESULTING AQUEOUS MIXTURE AT ABOUT 50* TO ABOUT 100*C. WHILE OXYGEN IS BUBBLED THERETHROUGH TO MINIMIZE POLYMER FORMATION UNTIL DEHYDROHALOGGENATON IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR MAKING A SALT OF A VINYLAROMATIC SULFONIC ACID BY SULFONATING A B-HALOETHYL AROMATIC COMPOUND CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS IN SOLUTION IN A POLYCHLORINATED ALIPHATIC LIQUID HYDROCARBON BY REACTION WITH APPROXIMATELY 1.0 TO 2.0 TIMES ITS MOLAR EQUIVALENT OF PURIFIED SULFURE TRIOXIDE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT -2:* AND 80* C., HOLDING THE REACTION MIXTURE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT, UP TO ABOUT 4 HOURS, TO OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY THE MAXIMUM YIELD OF RESULTING B-HALOETHYLARYL SULFONIC ACID, ADDING A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER FROM 0.5 TO 5 WEIGHT PERCENT, THEORETICAL SULFONIC ACID BASIS, SUFFICIENT TO HYDROLYZE BY-PRODUCT SULFONIC ACID ANHYDRIDE, ADDING TO THE REACTIN MEDIUM EXCESS AQUEOUS ALKALI OVER THAT REQUIRED TO NEUTRALIZE EXCESS SULFONATION ACID, SULFONIC ACID PRODUCT AND TO NEUTRALIZE HYDROGEN HALIDE WHICH RESULTS FROM DEHYDROHALOGENATION OF THE B-HALOETHYLARYL SULFONIC ACID, IN AMOUNT OF THE ORDER OF 2.1 MOLES OF ALKALI PER MOLE OF ADDED SULFUR TRIOXIDE, WATER PRESENT BEING IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO GIVE THE DESIRED SOLUTION CONCENTRATION OF FINAL PRODUCT, DISTILLING OFF THE POLYCHLORINATED ALIPHATIC LIQUID HYDROCARBON, SEPARATING INSOLUBLE MATTER FROM THE REMAINING MIXTURE OF REACTION MEDIUM AND AQUEOUS ALKALI AND HEATING THE RESULTING AQUEOUS MIXTURE AT ABOUT 50* TO ABOUT 100*C. WHILE OXYGEN IS BUBBLED THERETHROUGH TO MINIMIZE POLYMER FORMATION UNTIL DEHYDROHALOGGENATON IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE.