Process for the preparation of alkylene glycols
AssigneeSaudi Basic Industries Corporation
InventorsJaap W. Van Hal, John S. Ledford, Xiankuan Zhang
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Abstract
Disclosed is a process for the preparation of alkylene glycols from the corresponding alkylene oxide, such as ethylene glycol from ethylene oxide, in the presence of water, a catalyst and, optionally, carbon dioxide. The catalyst is a SALEN-type compound which contains an amino group and an oxy or hydroxy group connected by a hydrocarbon, such as an alkyl or an alkylaryl. The SALEN-type compounds may be Schiff bases, i.e., a condensate product of a primary amine with an aldehyde, ketone or an alcohol. The SALEN-type compound may be a mono or bis compound and may be complexed with a Group 4-14 metal, such as aluminum, tin, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt or platinum.
Claims13
A process for the preparation of alkylene glycols comprising reacting an alkylene oxide with water in the presence of a compound selected from the group consisting of
- wherein R3 is an alkyl or cycloalkyl and
- wherein R4-7 are hydrogen, alkyl or cycloalkyl and may be same or different, R2 is, alkyl or aryl or cycloalkyl or alkylamino of two to six carbon atoms, halogen, alkenyl of two to six carbon atoms, hydroxyl, nitro, thiol, amine, amino, imine, amide, phosphoryl, phosphonate, phosphine or carbonyl and R2 may be also be hydrogen in structure II and M is a metal of Group 4-14,
- wherein the process is carried out at a molar ratio of water to alkylene oxide in the range from about 5 to 25,
- and wherein the compound is not non-racemic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.