# US 6,720,457 B2 · Process for the hydroformylation of higher olefins using cobalt compounds as catalyst

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- Number: US 6,720,457 B2
- Document ID: US6720457B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/200,752
- Filed: 2002-07-24
- Published: 2003-02-13
- Granted: 2004-04-13
- Earliest claimed: 2001-07-24
- Assignees: Oxeno Olefinchemie GmbH
- Inventors: Stefan Drees; Bernhard Scholz; Alfred Kaizik; Walter Toetsch; Wilfried Bueschken; Martin Trocha
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6720457B2

## CPC

- C07C 29/16: by oxo-reaction combined with reduction
- C07C 45/50: by oxo-reactions
- C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS

## Abstract

Olefins having from 5 to 24, in particular from 5 to 12, carbon atoms are hydroformylated by reacting an olefin or a mixture of olefins in the presence of an unmodified cobalt catalyst in a single-stage process in a reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 220° C. and a pressure of from 100 bar to 400 bar, to obtain an aldehyde, an alcohol or a mixture thereof. An aqueous bottom phase and an organic phase are present in the reactor, the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase, and a concentration of the cobalt catalyst, calculated as metallic cobalt, in the aqueous bottom phase is in the range from 0.4 to 1.7% by mass based on the total weight of the aqueous bottom phase. A level of the aqueous bottom phase in the reactor is kept constant during steady-state operation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for the hydroformylation of an olefin, comprising:
reacting said olefin or a mixture of olefins in the presence of an unmodified cobalt catalyst in a single-stage process in a reactor at a temperature ranging from 100° C. to 220° C. and a pressure ranging from 100 bar to 400 bar, to obtain an aldehyde, an alcohol or a mixture thereof;
wherein an aqueous bottom phase and an organic phase are present in said reactor;
wherein the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase;
wherein the concentration of said cobalt catalyst, calculated as metallic cobalt, in said aqueous bottom phase is in the range from 0.4 to 1.7% by weight based on the total weight of said aqueous bottom phase; and
wherein the level of the aqueous bottom phase in said reactor is kept constant during steady-state operation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concentration of the cobalt catalyst in the aqueous bottom phase is in the range from 0.7 to 1.3% by weight.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous bottom phase occupies from 0.5 to 20 vol. % of the liquid contents of the reactor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein the aqueous bottom phase occupies from 1 to 10 vol. % of the liquid contents of the reactor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a phase boundary is present between the aqueous bottom phase and the organic phase which ranges in position from 0 to 1 m below or above the exit orifice of a mixing nozzle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous phase is mixed with the organic phase because of the ejector action of a mixing nozzle.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein a liquid velocity at an outlet of the mixing nozzle ranges from 3 to 300 m/s.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The process as claimed in claim 8, wherein the liquid velocity at the outlet of the mixing nozzle ranges from 10 to 100 m/s.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous bottom phase is mixed with the organic phase by means of a circulation pump.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said olefin has from 5 to 12 carbon atoms.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein said olefin has from 5 to 10 carbon atoms.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein said olefin has 8 or 9 carbon atoms.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The process as claimed in claim 13, wherein said olefin comprises a C8-olefin mixture obtained by oligomerization over a fixed-bed nickel catalyst.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A hydroformylation mixture obtained by the process according to claim 1.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The hydroformylation mixtures according to claim 15, comprising:
an aldehyde, an alcohol or a mixture thereof.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said unmodified cobalt catalyst comprises cobalt and a carbonyl group.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The process as claimed in claim 17, wherein said cobalt catalyst further comprises hydrogen.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The process as claimed in claim 17, wherein said cobalt catalyst further comprises an olefin group or an alkyl group.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The process as claimed in claim 17, wherein said cobalt catalyst does not comprise a ligand having an element of Group V of the Periodic Table.