Vapor-phase decarbonylation process

#The disclosure relates to the manufacture of furan and related compounds, and to the industrial use thereof for the synthesis of other useful materials.

#Furan and related compounds are useful starting materials for industrial chemicals for use as pharmaceuticals, herbicides, stabilizers, and polymers. For example, furan is used to make tetrahydrofuran, polytetramethylene glycol, polyetherester elastomers, and polyurethane elastomers.

#Known transition metal catalyzed, vapor phase processes to produce furan by decarbonylation of furfural are limited by either the selectivity or lifetime of the supported catalyst. The conversion of furfural to furan is complicated by the tendency to form polymeric or carbonizing byproducts which foul the catalyst surface and hinder the rate and lifetime of the catalyst. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,714 teaches a continuous low pressure vapor phase decarbonylation process for the production of furan comprising contacting furfural vapor with a supported palladium catalyst. A preferred catalyst has about 0.3 wt % Pd supported on alumina. The catalyst can be regenerated in situ but the lifetime of a running cycle for the catalyst is short and the production of furan per cycle is low.

#The inventions disclosed herein include processes for the preparation of furan and for the preparation of products into which furan can be converted.

#Features of certain of the processes of this invention are described herein in the context of one or more specific embodiments that combine various such features together. The scope of the invention is not, however, limited by the description of only certain features within any specific embodiment, and the invention also includes (1) a subcombination of fewer than all of the features of any described embodiment, which subcombination can be characterized by the absence of the features omitted to form the subcombination; (2) each of the features, individually, included within the combination of any described embodiment; and (3) other combinations of features formed by grouping only selected features taken from two or more described embodiments, optionally together with other features as disclosed elsewhere herein. Some of the specific embodiments of the processes hereof are as follows:

#In one embodiment hereof, this invention provides a process for the synthesis of a compound as represented by the following structure of Formula (I)