Manufacture of para-chloroaniline and para-aminophenol

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF P-CHLOROANILINE AS THE PRINCIPAL PRODUCT AND P-AMINOPHENOL AS A SECONDARY PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING AQUEOUS HYDROCHLORIC ACID CONTAINING ABOUT 5 TO 38% HCL, A SOLID ADSORBENT AND A PLATINUM METAL CATALYST IN INTIMATE CONTACT IN A REACTION ZONE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 50* TO 135*C. AND AT A PRESSUURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN AN AQUEOUS LIQUID PHASE IN SAID REACTION ZONE BUT NOT GREATER THAN 50 P.S.I.G., ADDING NITROBENZENE TO SAID REACTION ZONE IN A PROPORTION SUCH AS TO GIVE AN HCI/NITROBENZENE RATIO BETWEEN 4/1 AND 8/1 AND SUCH THAT IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ADSORBED ON SAID ADSORBENT WITHOUT FORMING A SEPARATE ORGANIC PHASE IN SAID REACTION ZONE, THEREBY FORMING A REACTION MIXTURE WHICH COMPRISES AN AQUEOUS PHASE AND A NITROBENZENE-CONTAINING SOLID PHASE, CONTACTING MOLECULAR HYDROGEN WITH SAID REACTION MIXTURE AT SAID REACTION TEMPERATURE, MECHANICALLY SEPARATING THE SOLID ADSORBENT AND CATALYST FROM THE RESULTING AQUEOUS LIQUID PRODUUCT, AND RECOVERING PARA-CHLOROANILINE AND PARAAMINOPHENOL FROM SAID AQUEOUS PRODUCT.