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US 4,270,015 AGranted
Manufacture of ethylene from synthesis gas (D#75,673-C1)
AssigneeTexaco Inc.
InventorJohn F. Knifton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention concerns a two-step process for the preparation of ethylene from mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen (commonly known as synthesis gas) by reaction of said carbon monoxide/hydrogen mixtures with a carboxylic acid in the presence of one or more ruthenium catalyst complexes to form an ethyl ester of said carboxylic acid coreactant, followed by pyrolysis of said ethyl ester intermediate to ethylene.
Claims12
A process for the synthesis of ethylene from mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which comprises the following steps:
- (1) Contacting a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with one or more C.sub.2 -C.sub.4 aliphatic carboxylic acids, the corresponding acid anhydrides, trifluoroacetic acid or the corresponding anhydride, and a ruthenium catalyst selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (IV) dioxide hydrate, ruthenium (VIII) tetraoxide, ruthenium acetate, ruthenium propionate, ruthenium acetyl acetonate, ruthenium chloride and ruthenium bromide, and a cocatalyst selected from the group consisting of cesium salts, quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts and iminium salts, to form a reaction mixture;
- (2) Heating said reaction mixture to temperatures between about 100.degree. and 350.degree. C., at superatmospheric pressures of 500 psi or greater to effect formation of predominantly the methyl, ethyl and propyl esters of said carboxylic acids,
- (3) Isolating said formed ethyl ester and pyrolyzing said isolated formed ester under an inert atmosphere to yield ethylene and also regenerating the carboxylic acid coreactant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.