Vapor phase nitration of cyclohexane

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR MONONITRATING CYCLOHEXANE IN THE VAPOR PHASE COMPRISING, MIXING VAPORS OF CYCLOHEXANE AND VAPORS OF A NITRATING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NITRIC ACID AND NITROGEN DIOXIDE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT AT WHICH SUBSTANTIAL NITRATION OCCURS IN THE PROPORTIONS OF FROM 4 UP TO 10 MOLS OF CYCLOHEXANE PER MOL OF NITRIC ACID WHEN USING NITRIC ACID AS THE NITRATING AGENT AND IN THE PROPORTIONS OF FROM 1 UP TO 5 MOLS OF CYCLOHEXANE PER MOL OF NITROGEN DIOXIDE, CALULATED AS NO2, WHEN USING NITROGEN DIOXIDE, THE SAID MIXING BEING EFFECTED BY MIXING THE VAPORS OF CYCLOHEXANE AND THE VAPORS OF THE NITRATING AGENT WITH BOTH IN THE VAPOR PHASE AND IN THE ABSENCE OF LIQUID PHASE REACTANTS, PASSING THE RESULTANT GASEOUS MIXTURE THROUGH A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 250*C. AND 375* C. FOR A RESIDENCE TIME OF AT LEAST 20 SECONDS, REMOVING THE RESULTANT REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, AND SEPARATING THE MONONITRATED CYCLOHEXANE FROM SAID MIXTURE.