Process for converting octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane to decamethylcyclopentasiloxane

Claim 2

A process for preparing decamethylcyclopentasiloxane from octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane by heating the latter with aqueous hydrochloric acid and a salt of a protonated amine having at least one nitrogen-bonded monovalent hydrocarbon group having 5 to 14 carbon atoms at a temperature in excess of 60° C.

Claim 3

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said protonated amine salt has the formula: RR'R"N + H.X - wherein R is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 5 to 14 carbon atoms, R' and R" are each a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and X is a mineral acid anion.

Claim 4

Process as claimed in claim 2 wherein said protonated amine salt has the formula: RR'R"N + H.X - wherein R is an alkyl group having 5 to 14 carbon atoms, R' and R" are each a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and X is a mineral acid anion.

Claim 5

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said protonated amine salt is formed in situ by adding an amine having at least one nitrogen-bonded monovalent hydrocarbon group having 5 to 14 carbon atoms to said aqueous hydrochloric acid.

Claim 6

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the concentration of said protonated amine salt is in the range of 0.1 to 10 wt. % of the total weight of aqueous hydrochloric acid, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and said protonated amine salt used in the process.

Claim 7

Process as claimed in claim 5 wherein the concentration of said protonated amine salt is in the range of 0.5 to 5 wt. % based on the same weight basis given in claim 5.

Claim 8

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein said temperature is in the range of 60° to 180° C.

Claim 9

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pressure under which the process is carried out ranges from 1 to 50 atmospheres.

Claim 10

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of hydrogen chloride to water in the aqueous hydrochloric acid is at least 0.25.

Claim 11

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane to hydrochloric acid is less than 9.

Claim 12

Process as claimed in claim 10 wherein said weight ratio ranges from 0.3 to 5.

Claim 13

Process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the product produced by heating the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, aqueous hydrochloric acid and said protonated amine salt is neutralized by contacting it with water.

Claim 14

Process as claimed in claim 12 wherein the temperature of the neutralizing water is above 50° C.

Claim 15

In a process involving the hydrolysis and condensation of dimethyldichlorosilane to produce an acid cyclic hydrolyzate, neutralizing and water washing said hydrolyzate to provide a mixture of linear and cyclic polysiloxanes and recovering and separating said cyclic siloxanes into fractions including octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, the improvement of increasing the yield of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, comprising treating said octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane fraction by the process claimed in claim 1 to convert octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane to decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, allowing the resulting mixture to phase separate into a silicone phase containing said decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and an aqueous phase containing said aqueous hydrochloric acid and said protonated amine salt, recycling said aqueous phase for mixing with additional octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane provided by said fractionation step and mixing said silicone phase with said acid cyclic hydrolyzate and proceeding with said neutralization and water wash steps to provide said mixture of linear and cyclic polysiloxanes.