Process for the liquid phase chlorination of c6' c18 alpha-olefin hydrocarbons

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING ABOUT 20 TO 73 PERCENT CHLORINE BY WEIGHT COMPRISING CHLORINATING IN THE ABSENCE OF A LEWIS ACID CATALYST A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE WHICH IS A LIQUID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE CONTAINING ON THE AVERAGE 6 TO 1, CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND CONSISTING MAINLY OF NORMAL ALPHA-OLEFINS WHILE PRESENT IN THE LIQUID STATE AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 25* TO 120*C. IN A REACTION ZONE WHEREIN A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING A MINOR PROPORTION OF HYDROCARBON VAPOR AND GASEOUS CHLORINE EXISTS IN CONTACT WITH SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON DURING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE CHLORINATION REACTION WHILE PROVIDING IN SAID REACTION ZONE ABOUT 2 TO 20PERCENT BY WEIGHT BASED UPON THE WEIGHT OF SAID HYDROCARBON MIXTURE OF AN ADDITIVE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON TETRACHLORIDE, CHLOROFORM, ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE, 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE, 1,1,2TRICHLOROETHANE, AND PERCHLOROETHANE AND WITH NO SOLVENT FOR SAID HYDROCARBON MIXTURE EING PRESENT IN SAID REACTION ZONE OTHER THAN SAID MINOR CONCENTRATION OF SAID ADDITIVE WHICH PRIMARILY SERVES A ROLE OTHER THAN A SOLVENT AND WHICH IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY VOLATILIZED AND PRESENT IN SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE IN CONTACT WITH SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON WHERE IT SERVE TO ELIMINATE AN UNDESIRABLE REACTION BETWEEN SAID HYDROCARBON VAPOR AND SAID GASEOUS CHLORINE THEREBY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF THE RESULTING CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PRODUCT, AND THEREAFTER SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVING SAID ADDITIVE FROM SAID CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PRODUCT.