Hydrogenolysis of alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters and ethers
AssigneeMonsanto Company
InventorGeorge M. Intille
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of saturated hydrocarbons from alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters or ethers by hydrogenolysis in the presence of catalyst systems containing an iridium or rhodium component and a halogen component. The process is specifically directed to the production of methane from methanol, toluene from benzaldehyde, ethyl benzene from methyl benzyl alcohol or acetophenone, bis(p-hydroxyphenyl) ethane from anisoin.
Claims29
A process for the hydrogenolysis of alcohols, ethers having oxygen attached to aliphatic carbon, ketones, aldehydes and carboxylic esters which comprises contacting at least one of such compounds with hydrogen and a catalyst having as essential an iridium or rhodium component and a halogen component, in which halogen is selected from the group consisting of iodine, bromine, and chlorine, in amount sufficient to catalyze the hydrogenolysis and with the hydrogen being present in sufficient excess over other gaseous components to cause hydrogenolysis in which oxygen cleaved from a carbon atom in the said compounds is replaced by hydrogen under conditions to obtain a high yield and recovery of products of such hydrogenolysis.
A process for hydrogenolysis of ethers having oxygen attached to aliphatic carbon, aldehydes and ketones which comprises contacting at least one of such compounds with a catalyst having as essentials an iridium or rhodium component and a halogen component, in which halogen is selected from the group consisting of iodine, bromine and chlorine, in amount sufficient to cause hydrogenolysis in which oxygen cleaved from a carbon atom is replaced by hydrogen under conditions to obtain a high yield and recovery of products of such hydrogenolysis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.