Dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane
OwnerHarvey D. Schindlerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
1,2-Dichlorethane is dehydrochlorinated by direct contact with a molten salt including the higher and lower valent forms of a multivalent metal chloride and generally also the oxychloride of the metal with ethane being present to increase selectivity to vinyl chloride.
Claims17
In a process for dehydrochlorinating 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride by direct contact with a molten salt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal, wherein during said dehydrochlorination, there is present at least one of an oxychloride of the multivalent metal in molten form and trichloroethylene, the improvement comprising:
- effecting said contacting in the presence of ethane to provide an ethane to 1,2-dichloroethane weight ratio from about 0.01:1 to about 0.15:1 to increase selectivity to vinyl chloride.
A process for producing vinyl chloride, comprising:
- (a) contacting in a first reaction zone hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of ethane, ethylene and mixtures thereof with a member selected from the group consisting of chlorine, hydrogen chloride and mixtures thereof and a melt comprising the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal and the oxychloride of the multivalent metal to produce a first effluent containing vinyl chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane;
- (b) recovering vinyl chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane from the first effluent;
- and
- (c) dehydrochlorinating recovered 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride by direct contact with a melt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal and the oxychloride of the metal, said contacting being effected in the presence of ethane in an amount to provide an ethane to 1,2-dichloroethane weight ratio from about 0.01:1 to about 0.15:1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.