Acetic acid cobalt catalysts

Acetic acid, cobalt(2+) salt Bis(acetato)cobalt Cobalt acetate (Co(OAc)2) Cobalt diacetate Cobalt(2+) acetate Cobalt(ll) acetate Cobaltous xetate Cobaltous diacetate EINECS 200-755-8 HSDB 997 NSC 78410, Bleaching agent and drier in lacquers esterification and oxidation catalyst, foam stabilizer in beers. Pink crystals freely soluble in H2O, [Tetrahydratej red crystals d = 1.705 becomes anhydrous at 140 soluble in H2O, alcohols, pentyl acetate. 

Acetic acid, cobalt(2 ) salt, tetrahydrate Bis-(acetato)tetraquacobalt Cobalt acetate tetrahydrate Cobalt diacetate tetrahydrate Cobalt(ll) acetate tetrahydrate Cobaltous acetate tetrahydrate Octan kobaltnaty. Used in inks, paints and varnish driers, catalyst, anodizing, mineral supplement in feed additives, foam stabilizer, [Tetrahydrate] d - 1.705 soluble in H2O and EtOH. Atomergic Chemetals Celtic Chem. Ltd Mallinckrodt... 

Most of the catalysts employed in the chemical technologies are heterogeneous. The chemical reaction takes place on surfaces, and the reactants are introduced as gases or liquids. Homogeneous catalysts, which are frequently metalloorganic molecules or clusters of molecules, also find wide and important applications in the chemical technologies [24]. Some of the important homogeneously catalyzed processes are listed in Table 7.44. Carbonylation, which involves the addition of CO and H2 to a C olefin to produce a + 1 acid, aldehyde, or alcohol, uses rhodium and cobalt complexes. Cobalt, copper, and palladium ions are used for the oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde and to acetic acid. Cobalt(II) acetate is used mostly for alkane oxidation to acids, especially butane. The air oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol is also carried out mostly with cobalt salts. Further oxidation to adipic acid uses copper(II) and vanadium(V) salts as catalysts. The... 

Oxidation. Acetaldehyde is readily oxidised with oxygen or air to acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and peracetic acid (see Acetic acid and derivatives). The principal product depends on the reaction conditions. Acetic acid [64-19-7] may be produced commercially by the Hquid-phase oxidation of acetaldehyde at 65°C using cobalt or manganese acetate dissolved in acetic acid as a catalyst (34). Liquid-phase oxidation in the presence of mixed acetates of copper and cobalt yields acetic anhydride [108-24-7] (35). Peroxyacetic acid or a perester is beheved to be the precursor in both syntheses. There are two commercial processes for the production of peracetic acid [79-21 -0]. Low temperature oxidation of acetaldehyde in the presence of metal salts, ultraviolet irradiation, or osone yields acetaldehyde monoperacetate, which can be decomposed to peracetic acid and acetaldehyde (36). Peracetic acid can also be formed directiy by Hquid-phase oxidation at 5—50°C with a cobalt salt catalyst (37) (see Peroxides and peroxy compounds). Nitric acid oxidation of acetaldehyde yields glyoxal [107-22-2] (38,39). Oxidations of /)-xylene to terephthaHc acid [100-21-0] and of ethanol to acetic acid are activated by acetaldehyde (40,41). 

Butane-Naphtha Catalytic Liquid-Phase Oxidation. Direct Hquid-phase oxidation ofbutane and/or naphtha [8030-30-6] was once the most favored worldwide route to acetic acid because of the low cost of these hydrocarbons. Butane [106-97-8] in the presence of metallic ions, eg, cobalt, chromium, or manganese, undergoes simple air oxidation in acetic acid solvent (48). The peroxidic intermediates are decomposed by high temperature, by mechanical agitation, and by action of the metallic catalysts, to form acetic acid and a comparatively small suite of other compounds (49). Ethyl acetate and butanone are produced, and the process can be altered to provide larger quantities of these valuable materials. Ethanol is thought to be an important intermediate (50) acetone forms through a minor pathway from isobutane present in the hydrocarbon feed. Formic acid, propionic acid, and minor quantities of butyric acid are also formed. 

The Acetaldehyde Oxidation Process. Liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of acetaldehyde (qv) can be directed by appropriate catalysts, such as transition metal salts of cobalt or manganese, to produce anhydride (26). Either ethyl acetate or acetic acid may be used as reaction solvent. The reaction proceeds according to the sequence... 

This reaction is rapidly replacing the former ethylene-based acetaldehyde oxidation route to acetic acid. The Monsanto process employs rhodium and methyl iodide, but soluble cobalt and iridium catalysts also have been found to be effective in the presence of iodide promoters. 

Butane LPO conducted in the presence of very high concentrations of cobalt catalyst has been reported to have special character (2,205,217—219). It occurs under mild conditions with reportedly high efficiency to acetic acid. It is postulated to involve the direct attack of Co(III) on the substrate. Various additives, including methyl ethyl ketone, -xylene, or water, are claimed to be useful. 

A one-step LPO of cyclohexane directly to adipic acid (qv) has received a lot of attention (233—238) but has not been implemented on a large scale. The various versions of this process use a high concentration cobalt catalyst in acetic acid solvent and a promoter (acetaldehyde, methyl ethyl ketone, water). 

Acetic acid is produced by direct carbonylation of methanol in the presence of a homogeneous rhodium or cobalt catalyst. 

Because of its volatility, the cobalt catalyst codistills with the product aldehyde necessitating a separate catalyst separation step known as decobalting. This is typically done by contacting the product stream with an aqueous carboxyhc acid, eg, acetic acid, subsequently separating the aqueous cobalt carboxylate, and returning the cobalt to the process as active catalyst precursor (2). Alternatively, the aldehyde product stream may be decobalted by contacting it with aqueous caustic soda which converts the catalyst into the water-soluble Co(CO). This stream is decanted from the product, acidified, and recycled as active HCo(CO)4. 

Technical-Grade Terephthalic Acid. All technical-grade terephthahc acid is produced by catalytic, hquid-phase air oxidation of xylene. Several processes have been developed, but they all use acetic acid as a solvent and a multivalent heavy metal or metals as catalysts. Cobalt is always used. In the most popular process, cobalt and manganese are the multivalent heavy-metal catalysts and bromine is the renewable source for free radicals (51,52). 

Acetaldehyde can be used as an oxidation-promoter in place of bromine. The absence of bromine means that titanium metallurgy is not required. Eastman Chemical Co. has used such a process, with cobalt as the only catalyst metal. In that process, acetaldehyde is converted to acetic acid at the rate of 0.55—1.1 kg/kg of terephthahc acid produced. The acetic acid is recycled as the solvent and can be isolated as a by-product. Reaction temperatures can be low, 120—140°C, and residence times tend to be high, with values of two hours or more (55). Recovery of dry terephthahc acid follows steps similar to those in the Amoco process. Eastman has abandoned this process in favor of a bromine promoter (56). Another oxidation promoter which has been used is paraldehyde (57), employed by Toray Industries. This leads to the coproduction of acetic acid. 2-Butanone has been used by Mobil Chemical Co. (58). 

Eigure 3 is a flow diagram which gives an example of the commercial practice of the Dynamit Nobel process (73). -Xylene, air, and catalyst are fed continuously to the oxidation reactor where they are joined with recycle methyl -toluate. Typically, the catalyst is a cobalt salt, but cobalt and manganese are also used in combination. Titanium or other expensive metallurgy is not required because bromine and acetic acid are not used. The oxidation reactor is maintained at 140—180°C and 500—800 kPa (5—8 atm). The heat of reaction is removed by vaporization of water and excess -xylene these are condensed, water is separated, and -xylene is returned continuously (72,74). Cooling coils can also be used (70). 

Of the three benzenetricarboxyhc acids, only trimellitic acid as the anhydride is commercially produced in large volume, by Hquid-phase air oxidation of either pseudocumene or dimethyl benzaldehyde. The pseudocumene oxidation is another variant of the cobalt—manganese—bromine catalyst in acetic acid solvent as described in the terephthaUc acid section. The acid is available as a laboratory chemical (99). The lUPAC name of trimellitic anhydride is 5-isobenzofurancarboxyhc acid (l,3-dihydro-l,3-dioxo). 

Manufacture. The only current U.S. manufacturer of trimesic acid is Amoco Chemical Co. It is produced by oxidation of mesitylene (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) via the Hquid-phase oxidation in acetic acid using the cobalt— manganese—bromine catalyst system (138). This is a variant of the system used to produce terephthaUc and isophthaUc acids as well as trimellitic anhydride. American Bio-Synthetics Corp. did produce it by batch oxidation of mesitylene with potassium permanganate. 

The original catalysts for this process were iodide-promoted cobalt catalysts, but high temperatures and high pressures (493 K and 48 MPa) were required to achieve yields of up to 60% (34,35). In contrast, the iodide-promoted, homogeneous rhodium catalyst operates at 448—468 K and pressures of 3 MPa. These conditions dramatically lower the specifications for pressure vessels. Yields of 99% acetic acid based on methanol are readily attained (see Acetic acid Catalysis). 

Acetic acid (qv) can be produced synthetically (methanol carbonylation, acetaldehyde oxidation, butane/naphtha oxidation) or from natural sources (5). Oxygen is added to propylene to make acrolein, which is further oxidized to acryHc acid (see Acrylic acid and derivatives). An alternative method adds carbon monoxide and/or water to acetylene (6). Benzoic acid (qv) is made by oxidizing toluene in the presence of a cobalt catalyst (7). 

Homogeneous Oxidation Catalysts. Cobalt(II) carboxylates, such as the oleate, acetate, and naphthenate, are used in the Hquid-phase oxidations of -xylene to terephthaUc acid, cyclohexane to adipic acid, acetaldehyde (qv) to acetic acid, and cumene (qv) to cumene hydroperoxide. These reactions each involve a free-radical mechanism that for the cyclohexane oxidation can be written as... 

A Belgian patent (178) claims improved ethanol selectivity of over 62%, starting with methanol and synthesis gas and using a cobalt catalyst with a hahde promoter and a tertiary phosphine. At 195°C, and initial carbon monoxide pressure of 7.1 MPa (70 atm) and hydrogen pressure of 7.1 MPa, methanol conversions of 30% were indicated, but the selectivity for acetic acid and methyl acetate, usehil by-products from this reaction, was only 7%. Ruthenium and osmium catalysts (179,180) have also been employed for this reaction. The addition of a bicycHc trialkyl phosphine is claimed to increase methanol conversion from 24% to 89% (181). 

Oxidation catalysts are either metals that chemisorb oxygen readily, such as platinum or silver, or transition metal oxides that are able to give and take oxygen by reason of their having several possible oxidation states. Ethylene oxide is formed with silver, ammonia is oxidized with platinum, and silver or copper in the form of metal screens catalyze the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde. Cobalt catalysis is used in the following oxidations butane to acetic acid and to butyl-hydroperoxide, cyclohexane to cyclohexylperoxide, acetaldehyde to acetic acid and toluene to benzoic acid. PdCh-CuCb is used for many liquid-phase oxidations and V9O5 combinations for many vapor-phase oxidations. 

In 1996, consumption in the western world was 14.2 tonnes of rhodium and 3.8 tonnes of iridium. Unquestionably the main uses of rhodium (over 90%) are now catalytic, e.g. for the control of exhaust emissions in the car (automobile) industry and, in the form of phosphine complexes, in hydrogenation and hydroformylation reactions where it is frequently more efficient than the more commonly used cobalt catalysts. Iridium is used in the coating of anodes in chloralkali plant and as a catalyst in the production of acetic acid. It also finds small-scale applications in specialist hard alloys. 

The carbonylation of methanol is currently one of the major routes for acetic acid production. The basic liquid-phase process developed by BASF uses a cobalt catalyst at 250°C and a high pressure of about 70... 

The catalyzed oxidation of p-xylene produces terephthalic acid (TPA). Cobalt acetate promoted with either NaBr or HBr is used as a catalyst in an acetic acid medium. Reaction conditions are approximately 200°C and 15 atmospheres. The yield is about 95% ... 

Liquid-phase oxidation of o-xylene also works at approximately 150°C. Cobalt or manganese acetate in acetic acid medium serves as a catalyst. 

In the late 1950 s two groups - one at ICI (ref. 1) and the other at the Mid-Century Corporation (ref. 2) - independently discovered that p-xylene is oxidized to terephthalic acid in almost quantitative yield when soluble bromides are used together with cobalt and manganese catalysts in acetic acid solvent at temperatures > 130 °C (ref. 3). This discovery formed the basis for what became known as the Mid-Century process and later, when the Mid-Century Corporation was acquired by Amoco, as the Amoco MC process for the commercial production of terephthalic acid. A large part of the ca. 6 million tons of the latter that are manufactured annually, on a worldwide basis, are produced via this method. This makes it the most important catalytic oxidation process (ref. 4). 

Another catalytic system which has been successfully applied to the autoxidation of substituted toluenes involves the combination of Co/Br" with a quaternary ammonium salt as a phase transfer catalyst (ref. 20). For example, cobalt(II) chloride in combination with certain tetraalkylammonium bromides or tetraalkylphosphonium bromides afforded benzoic acid in 92 % yield from toluene at 135-160 °C and 15 bar (Fig. 19). It should be noted that this system does not require the use of acetic acid as solvent. The function of the phase transfer catalyst is presumably to solubilize the cobalt in the ArCH3 solvent via the formation of Q + [CoBr]. ... 

The carbonylation of methanol was developed by Monsanto in the late 1960s. It is a large-scale operation employing a rhodium/iodide catalyst converting methanol and carbon monoxide into acetic acid. An older method involves the same carbonylation reaction carried out with a cobalt catalyst (see Section 9.3.2.4). For many years the Monsanto process has been the most attractive route for the preparation of acetic acid, but in recent years the iridium-based CATIVA process, developed by BP, has come on stream (see Section 9.3.2) ... 

---