Process for the halogenation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON BY REACTING AN OLEFIN HAVING FROM TWO TO TEN CARBON ATOMS AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 120* C. WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF DUPRIC HALIDE AND A METAL HALIDE PROMOTER OF THE CORRESPONDING HALIDE WHEREIN THE HALOGEN OF THE CUPRIC HALIDE AND OF THE PORMOTER HAS AN ATOMIC NUMBER ABOVE 9 IN THE PERIODIC TABLE AND WHEREIN THE METAL IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZINC, CADMIUM, TIN, BISMUTH, MERCURY, COPPER IN THE CUPROUS STAE, ALUMINUM, TITANIUM, VANADIUM, CHROMIUM, MOLYBDENUM AND IRON, COBALT AND NICKEL AND MIXTURES THEREOF, AND WHEREIN THE CONCENTRATION OF THE TOTAL CUPRIC HALIDE-METAL HALIDE PROMOTER IN SOLUTION IS BETWEEN ABOUT 10 AND ABOUT 50 MOL PERCENT AND THE PROPORTION OF CUPRIC HALIDE TO PROMOTER IS BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01:1 AND ABOUT 100:1; MAINTAINING THE METAL HALIDE MIXTURE IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION IN THE REACTION ZONE; WITHDRAWING A GASEOUS EFFLUENT FROM THE REACTION ZONE CONTAINING UNREACTED HYDROCARBON AND THE CORRESPONDING HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON PRODUCT; AND RECOVERING THE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON FROM THE EFFLUENT AS THE PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.