Process for direct electrochemical gaseous phase phosgene synthesis
AssigneeBayer Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsFritz Gestermann, Jurgen Dobbers, Hans-Nicolaus Rindfleisch
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Abstract
An electrochemical cell (1 ) having a proton-conducting membrane (4) is used in the process for the direct electrochemical gas phase synthesis of phosgene. Dry HCl gas and dry CO gas are supplied as the educts to the anode (2) of the electrochemical cell (1). The chlorine radicals formed on anodic oxidation of the HCl gas then react directly with the CO gas to yield phosgene, while the simultaneously formed protons migrate through the membrane (4) to the cathode (3) and are there reduced to hydrogen or, in the presence of oxygen, to water.
Claims20
A process for electrochemically converting hydrogen chloride to phosgene comprising
- a) supplying dry HCl gas and dry CO gas as educts to an activated diffusion anode of an electrochemical cell which is equipped with a proton-conducting membrane,
- b) anodically oxidizing the HCl to generate chlorine radicals and hydrogen protons,
- c) reacting the chlorine radicals generated in step b) directly with the CO gas to produce phosgene,
- d) allowing the protons generated in step b) to migrate through the proton-conducting membrane to a cathode, and
- e) reducing the protons present at the cathode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.