Hydrogenation of a diarylketone to a diarylmethanol
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorLawrence W. Gosser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Process comprising contacting and reacting a diarylketone of the formula RCOR', wherein each of R and R' is aryl, the same or different, and hydrogen over at least a catalytic amount of lead-poisoned palladium catalyst, for example, Lindlar catalyst, at a hydrogen gage pressure in the range from about 150 kPa to about 15,000 kPa, preferably from about 340 kPa to about 3400 kPa, at a temperature in the range from about 50.degree. C. to about 200.degree. C., preferably from about 100.degree. C. to about 150.degree. C., to produce diarylmethanol of the formula RCHOHR', wherein R and R' are as defined above.
Claims14
Process comprising contacting and reacting a diarylketone of the formula RCOR', wherein each of R and R' is aryl, the same or different, and hydrogen over at least a catalytic amount of lead-poisoned palladium catalyst at a hydrogen gage pressure in the range from about 150 kPa to about 15,000 kPa, at a temperature in the range from about 50.degree. C. to about 200.degree. C., to produce diarylmethanol of the formula RCHOHR', wherein R and R' are defined as above.
In an integrated cyclic process for preparing hydrogen peroxide by oxidizing a diarylmethanol and thereafter hydrogenating the resultant diarylketone back to the diarylmethanol, the improvement characterized is that the process includes the steps:
- (a) diarylmethanol having 13 to 25 carbon atoms and of the formula RCHOHR', wherein each of R and R' is aryl, the same or different, is contacted and reacted, in the liquid state, at about 130.degree.-260.degree. C., with gaseous oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide and diarylketone of the formula RCOR', wherein R and R' are as defined above;
- and
- (b) diarylketone having 13 to 25 carbon atoms and of the formula RCOR', wherein each of R and R' is aryl, the same or different, is contacted and reacted with hydrogen over at least a catalytic amount of lead-poisoned palladium catalyst at a hydrogen gauge pressure in the range from about 150 kPa to about 15,000 kPa, a temperature in the range from about 50.degree. C. to about 200.degree. C., to produce diarylmethanol of the formula RCHOHR', wherein R and R' are as defined above,
- provided, however, R and R', respectively, are the same in both steps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.