Continuous process for ozonizing unsaturated compounds

Claim 1

A continuous process for the ozonization of a higher molecular weight olefinically unsaturated organic compound, which consists essentially of the steps of: (a) continuously feeding a fresh charge mixture of the unsaturated organic compound, said compound having a boiling point at normal pressure of at least 50° C., which mixture contains 2 to 49 weight percent of water, relative to the weight of said unsaturated organic compound, into parallel flow in a confined space with the ozone-containing off gas from a previous ozonization wherein said unsaturated organic compound and said ozone-containing off gas are intimately mixed continuously throughout their parallel flow together and wherein the partially ozonized charge produced is optionally similarly reacted with a further charge of ozone-containing gas in one or more additional parallel flow reactions, (b) continuously withdrawing from step (a) a partially ozonized charge and gas substantially free of ozone, (c) continuously feeding said partially ozonized charge containing water from step (b) into parallel flow in a confined space with ozone-containing gas and intimately mixing said partially ozonized charge and said ozone-containing gas continuously throughout their parallel flow together, (d) continuously passing ozone-containing gas containing 0.1 to 1 volume percent ozone into step (c), (e) continuously withdrawing the ozonized charge containing none-to-sufficient water for hydrolysis of the ozonide and a partially depleted ozone-containing off gas, (f) continuously separating said gas, and cycling it to step (a), and (g) continuously recovering an ozonide of said higher molecular weight olefinically unsaturated organic compound, and wherein said parallel flow reactions in steps (a) and (c) are conducted at a predetermined temperature of from 10° to 50° C. and at a pressure sufficient that substantially all the heat of reaction is removed by evaporation of the water present.