Method for producing methacrylic acid acrylic acid with a combination of enzyme catalysts
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsRobert Dicosimo, Robert D. Fallon, John E. Gavagan, Leo Ernest Manzer
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Abstract
The invention provides a process for the hydrolysis of acrylonitrile to acrylic acid, and for the hydrolysis of methacrylonitrile to methacrylic acid, in high yield and at high concentration with high specificity. Acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile is hydrolyzed in a suitable aqueous reaction mixture by a catalyst characterized by a nitrile hydratase and amidase activity of Comamonas testosteroni 5-MGAM-4D, producing the corresponding acid. The acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is isolated as the acid or corresponding salt.
Claims6
A process for producing methacrylic acid from methacrylonitrile comprising
- (a) contacting methacrylonitrile in a suitable aqueous reaction mixture with a catalyst characterized by a nitrile hydratase activity and an amidase activity of Comamonas testosteroni 5-MGAM-4D (ATCC 55744);
- and
- (b) isolating the methacrylic acid produced in (a) in the from of a salt or acid.
A process for producing acrylic acid from acrylonitrile comprising
- (a) contacting acrylonitrile in a suitable aqueous reaction mixture with an catalyst characterized by a nitrile hydratase and amidase activity of Comamonas testosteroni 5-MGAM-4D (ATCC 5744);
- and
- (b) isolating the acrylic acid produced in (a) in the form of a salt or acid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.