Air initiation for detergent range pendant or internal olefin sulfitation
AssigneeContinental Oil Company
InventorsRonald J. Convers, Le Roy Rose
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Air initiation of pendant or internal olefin sulfitation at commercially useful rates and selectivities is achieved by stirring a mixture containing detergent range internal or pendant olefins, an alkali-metal or ammonium bisulfite, an alkali-metal or ammonium sulfite, an alkali-metal or ammonium alkane or alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant, water, and an alcohol such as 1-propanol or 1-butanol, at ambient temperature and pressure while passing oxygen-containing gas through the mixture at a very slow rate. Bisulfite present must be in a mole ratio with respect to olefin of from 1 to 1-3 to 1 respectively, while sulfite must be present in a mole ratio to olefin of from 1 to 2-2 to 1. PH of the reaction mixture normally ranges from 5 to 6.
Claims8
A method for the air initiated sulfitation of pendant and internal olefins containing from 12 to 22 carbon atoms comprising carrying out the reaction in the presence of:
- (a) bisulfite to olefin mole ratios of from 1:1 to 3:1 in an alcohol/water system, wherein said alcohol is 1-propanol, 1-butanol, or both 1-propanol and 1-butanol, and said bisulfite is obtained from compounds yielding water-soluble bisulfite ions and counter-ions which are inert with respect to the reaction and selected from the group consisting of sodium bisulfite, ammonium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, and lithium bisulfite;
- (b) sulfite to olefin mole ratios of from 1:1 to 2:1 in said alcohol/water system, said sulfite being obtained from compounds which provide water soluble sulfite ions and counter-ions which are inert with respect to the reaction and selected from the group consisting of sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite and lithium sulfite;
- (c) bisulfite concentrations of about 2 to about 4 molar in the water used;
- (d) sulfite concentrations of from about 1 to about 2.5 molar in the water used;
- (e) olefin concentrations of .8 to 2.5 molar in the alcohol used;
- (f) an alcohol/water volume ratio of 1:3 to 3:1;
- (g) reaction temperatures of 0.degree. to about 100.degree. C;
- (h) sufficient pressure to prevent reflux of the reaction mixture;
- (i) sufficient agitation to produce an emulsion of said reaction mixture;
- (j) under an oxygen flow rate of about 0.1 to about 2.0 moles percent per hour based upon the starting olefins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.