Acetaldehyde production

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ACETALDEHYDE, COMPRISING : CONTACTING A MOLTEN MIXTURE COMPRISING A MULTIVALENT METAL CHLORIDE IN BOTH ITS HIGHER AND LOWER VALENCE STATE AND THE CORRESPONDING OXYCHLORIDE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE OXYGEN REQUIREMENTS FOR ACETALDEHYDE PRODUCTION TO ABOUT 5.5 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE MOLTEN MIXTURE, SAID MULTIVALENT METAL BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER, CHROMIUM, COBALT, MANGANESE AND IRON WITH A GASEOUS FEED COMPRISING A HYDROCARBON SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHANE, ETHYLENE AND MIXTURES THEREOF AND FURTHER COMPRISING ETHYL CHLORIDE AND VINYL CHLORIDE IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT NET PRODUCTION THEREOF, SAID CONTACTING BEING EFFECTED AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 700* TO ABOUT 1,000*F., IN THE ESSENTIAL ABSENCE OF ADDED CHLORINE AND HYDROGEN CHLORIDE TO PRODUCE A GASEOUS EFFLUENT COMPRISING ACETALHYDE.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein the oxychloride content of the melt is from about 1 to about 5.5%, by weight.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein the multivalent metal chloride is copper chloride.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon is ethane.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein the ethyl chloride to ethane fresh feed weight ratio is from about 1:1 to about 10:1 and the vinyl chloride to ethane fresh feed weight ratio is from about 1: 1 to about 10:1.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein the molten mixture further comprises as a melting point depressant a metal chloride which is non-volatile and resistant to the action of oxygen to maintain the molten state at the reaction temperature.

Claim 8

The process of claim 5 wherein the melting point depressant is an alkali metal chloride.

Claim 9

A process for producing acetaldehyde, comprising: contacting a molten mixture of a multivalent metal chloride in both its higher and lower valence state and the corresponding oxychloride, in an amount sufficient to provide oxygen requirements for acetaldehyde production to about 5.5 weight percent of the molten mixture, the multivalent metal being selected from the group consisting of copper, chromium, cobalt, manganese and iron with ethane and in addition, ethyele, ethyl chloride and vinyl chloride in an amount sufficient to prevent net production thereof in the essential absence of added chlorine and hydrogen chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700* to about 1,000*F. to produce a gaseous effluent comprising acetaldehyde.

Claim 10

A process for producing acetaldehyde, comprising: contacting a molten mixture of a multivalent metal chloride in both its higher and lower valence state and the corresponding oxychloride, in an amount sufficient to provide oxygen requirements for acetaldehyde production to about 5.5 weight percent of the molten mixture, the multivalent metal being selected from the group consisting of copper, chromium, cobalt, manganese and iron with ethane and in addition, ethyele, ethyl chloride and vinyl chloride in an amount sufficient to prevent net production thereof in the essential absence of added chlorine and hydrogen chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700* to about 1,000*F. to produce a gaseous effluent comprising acetaldehyde.

Claim 11

The process of claim 8 wherein the oxychloride content of the melt is from about 1 to about 5.5%, by weight.

Claim 12

The process of claim 8 wherein the ethyl chloride to ethane fresh feed weight ratio is from about 1:1 to about 10:1 the vinyl chloride to ethane fresh feed weight ratio is from about 1:1 to about 10:1 and the ethylene to ethane fresh feed weight ratio is from about 0.5:1 to about 5:1.

Claim 13

The process of claim 8 wherein the multivalent metal chloride is copper chloride.

Claim 14

The process of claim 8 wherein said gaseous effluent further comprises ethylene, vinyl chloride, ethyl chloride and unreacted ethane which are recovered and recycled to said contacting.

Claim 15

The proceSs of claim 12 wherein the molten mixture further comprises as a melting point depressant a metal chloride which is non-volatile and resistant to the action of oxygen to maintain the molten state at the reaction temperature.

Claim 16

A process for producing acetaldehyde, comprising: a. contacting a molten mixture of cuprous chloride and cupric chloride with molecular oxygen to produce copper oxychloride in an amount sufficient to provide oxygen requirement for acetaldehyde production up to 5.5 weight percent of the molten mixture; b. contacting the molten mixture from step (a) with ethane as fresh feed and ethane, vinyl chloride, ethylene and ethyl chloride as recycle feed in an amount sufficient to prevent net production thereof, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700* to about 1,000*F. in the essential absence of added chlorine and hydrogen chloride; c. recovering from step (b) a gaseous effluent comprising acetaldehyde, vinyl chloride, ethane, ethylene and ethyl chloride; d. recovering acetaldehyde from the gaseous effluent as reaction product; e. recovering vinyl chloride, ethane, ethylene and ethyl chloride from the gaseous effluent as recycle feed to step (b); and f. passing the molten mixture from step (b) to step (a).

Claim 17

A process for producing acetaldehyde, comprising: a. contacting a molten mixture of cuprous chloride and cupric chloride with molecular oxygen to produce copper oxychloride in an amount sufficient to provide oxygen requirement for acetaldehyde production up to 5.5 weight percent of the molten mixture; b. contacting the molten mixture from step (a) with ethane as fresh feed and ethane, vinyl chloride, ethylene and ethyl chloride as recycle feed in an amount sufficient to prevent net production thereof, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700* to about 1,000*F. in the essential absence of added chlorine and hydrogen chloride; c. recovering from step (b) a gaseous effluent comprising acetaldehyde, vinyl chloride, ethane, ethylene and ethyl chloride; d. recovering acetaldehyde from the gaseous effluent as reaction product; e. recovering vinyl chloride, ethane, ethylene and ethyl chloride from the gaseous effluent as recycle feed to step (b); and f. passing the molten mixture from step (b) to step (a).

Claim 18

The process of claim 14 wherein the molten mixture further comprises as a melting point depressant a metal chloride which is non-volatile and resistant to the action of oxygen to maintain the molten state at the reaction temperature.

Claim 19

The process of claim 15 wherein the melting point depressant is potassium chloride.

Claim 20

The process of claim 16 wherein said cupric chloride comprises from about 15 to about 30%, by weight, of the molten mixture.

Claim 21

The process of claim 17 wherein the recycle ethyl chloride to fresh feed ethane weight ratio in step (b) ranges from about 1:1 to about 10:1; the recycle vinyl chloride to fresh feed ethane weight ratio in step (b) ranges from about 1:1 to about 10:1, and the ethylene to fresh feed ethane weight ratio in step (b) ranges from about 0.5:1 to about 5:1.

Claim 22

The process of claim 18 wherein the oxychloride content of the melt is from about 1 to about 5.5%, by weight.