Adipic acid oxidation

Cyclohexane is also a precursor for adipic acid. Oxidizing cyclohexane in the liquid-phase at lower temperatures and for longer residence times (than for KA oil) with a cobalt acetate catalyst produces adipic acid ... 

Organic acids are normally stable to oxidation, but laboratory and pilot plant results (18) have shown that adipic acid oxidizes in conjugation with sulfite oxidation in the scrubber. This paper reports oxidative degradation rate of adipic acid as a function of pH and Mn concentration (19). Results are also presented on sulfopropionic, sulfosuccinic, succinic, hydroxypropionic, and hydroxyacetic acids (20). 

Colourless liquid with a strong peppermintlike odour b.p. 155" C. Manufactured by passing cyclohexanol vapour over a heated copper catalyst. Volatile in steam. Oxidized to adipic acid. Used in the manufacture of caprolactam. Nylon, adipic acid, nitrocellulose lacquers, celluloid, artificial leather and printing inks. 

C, b.p. 16UC. Manufactured by heating phenol with hydrogen under pressure in the presence of suitable catalysts. Oxidized to adipic acid (main use as intermediate for nylon production) dehydrogenated to cyclohexanone. 

Adipic acid is conveiiiently prepared by the oxidation of cyc/ohexanol (or cyclohexanone) with concentrated or with 50 per cent, nitric acid ... 

Adiponitrile undergoes the typical nitrile reactions, eg, hydrolysis to adipamide and adipic acid and alcoholysis to substituted amides and esters. The most important industrial reaction is the catalytic hydrogenation to hexamethylenediarnine. A variety of catalysts are used for this reduction including cobalt—nickel (46), cobalt manganese (47), cobalt boride (48), copper cobalt (49), and iron oxide (50), and Raney nickel (51). An extensive review on the hydrogenation of nitriles has been recendy pubUshed (10). 

Since adipic acid has been produced in commercial quantities for almost 50 years, it is not surprising that many variations and improvements have been made to the basic cyclohexane process. In general, however, the commercially important processes stiU employ two major reaction stages. The first reaction stage is the production of the intermediates cyclohexanone [108-94-1] and cyclohexanol [108-93-0], usuaHy abbreviated as KA, KA oil, ol-one, or anone-anol. The KA (ketone, alcohol), after separation from unreacted cyclohexane (which is recycled) and reaction by-products, is then converted to adipic acid by oxidation with nitric acid. An important alternative to this use of KA is its use as an intermediate in the manufacture of caprolactam, the monomer for production of nylon-6 [25038-54-4]. The latter use of KA predominates by a substantial margin on a worldwide basis, but not in the United States. 

Although many variations of the cyclohexane oxidation step have been developed or evaluated, technology for conversion of the intermediate ketone—alcohol mixture to adipic acid is fundamentally the same as originally developed by Du Pont in the early 1940s (98,99). This step is accomplished by oxidation with 40—60% nitric acid in the presence of copper and vanadium catalysts. The reaction proceeds at high rate, and is quite exothermic. Yield of adipic acid is 92—96%, the major by-products being the shorter chain dicarboxytic acids, glutaric and succinic acids,and CO2. Nitric acid is reduced to a combination of NO2, NO, N2O, and N2. Since essentially all commercial adipic acid production arises from nitric acid oxidation, the trace impurities patterns ate similar in the products of most manufacturers. 

Other processes explored, but not commercialized, include the direct nitric acid oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid (140—143), carbonylation of 1,4-butanediol [110-63-4] (144), and oxidation of cyclohexane with ozone [10028-15-5] (145—148) or hydrogen peroxide [7722-84-1] (149—150). Production of adipic acid as a by-product of biological reactions has been explored in recent years (151—156). 

Quality Specifications. Because of the extreme sensitivity of polyamide synthesis to impurities ia the iagredients (eg, for molecular-weight control, dye receptivity), adipic acid is one of the purest materials produced on a large scale. In addition to food-additive and polyamide specifications, other special requirements arise from the variety of other appHcations. Table 8 summarizes the more important specifications. Typical impurities iaclude monobasic acids arising from the air oxidation step ia synthesis, and lower dibasic acids and nitrogenous materials from the nitric acid oxidation step. Trace metals, water, color, and oils round out the usual specification Hsts. 

Adipic acid is an irritant to the mucous membranes. In case of contact with the eyes, they should be flushed with water. It emits acrid smoke and fumes on heating to decomposition. It can react with oxidizing materials, and the dust can explode ia admixture with air (see Table 3). Fires may be extinguished with water, CO2, foam, or dry chemicals. 

Cyclohexane. The LPO of cyclohexane [110-82-7] suppUes much of the raw materials needed for nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 production. Cyclohexanol (A) and cyclohexanone (K) maybe produced selectively by using alow conversion process with multiple stages (228—232). The reasons for low conversion and multiple stages (an approach to plug-flow operation) are apparent from Eigure 2. Several catalysts have been reported. The selectivity to A as well as the overall process efficiency can be improved by using boric acid (2,232,233). K/A mixtures are usually oxidized by nitric acid in a second step to adipic acid (233) (see Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone). 

Dilute nitric acid can be used to oxidize an aliphatic hydrocarbon. For example, a significant use for nitric acid is the oxidation of cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone (qv) to produce adipic acid (qv). Most adipic acid is used for the production of nylon-6,6. 

Adipic acid (qv) has a wide variety of commercial uses besides the manufacture of nylon-6,6, and thus is a common industrial chemical. Many routes to its manufacture have been developed over the years but most processes in commercial use proceed through a two-step oxidation of cyclohexane [110-83-8] or one of its derivatives. In the first step, cyclohexane is oxidized with air at elevated temperatures usually in the presence of a suitable catalyst to produce a mixture of cyclohexanone [108-94-1] and cyclohexanol [108-93-0] commonly abbreviated KA (ketone—alcohol) or KA oil ... 

In the second step, KA is further oxidized by nitric acid [7697-37-2] to adipic acid, which is separated, purified usually through crystallization, and dried (see Adipic acid). 

The by-product of this process, pelargonic acid [112-05-0] is also an item of commerce. The usual source of sebacic acid [111-20-6] for nylon-6,10 [9008-66-6] is also from a natural product, ticinoleic acid [141-22-0] (12-hydroxyoleic acid), isolated from castor oil [8001-79-4]. The acid reacts with excess sodium or potassium hydroxide at high temperatures (250—275°C) to produce sebacic acid and 2-octanol [123-96-6] (166) by cleavage at the 9,10-unsaturated position. The manufacture of dodecanedioic acid [693-23-2] for nylon-6,12 begins with the catalytic trimerization of butadiene to make cyclododecatriene [4904-61-4] followed by reduction to cyclododecane [294-62-2] (see Butadiene). The cyclododecane is oxidatively cleaved to dodecanedioic acid in a process similar to that used in adipic acid production. 

Succinic anhydride [108-30-5] (3,4-dihydro-2,5-furandione butanedioic anhydride tetrahydro-2,5-dioxofuran 2,5-diketotetrahydrofuran succinyl oxide), C H O, was first obtained by dehydration of succinic acid. In the 1990s anhydride is produced by hydrogenation of maleic anhydride and the acid by hydration of the anhydride, by hydrogenation of aqueous solutions of maleic acid, or as a by-product in the manufacture of adipic acid (qv) (see Maleic ANHYDRIDE, MALEIC ACID, AND FUMARIC ACID). 

A mixture of succinic (15—25 wt %), glutaric (45—55 wt %), and adipic acid (25—35 wt %) is obtained as a by-product in the oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid. In 1993, the production of adipic acid by this process was in the range of two million metric tons, which corresponds to a production of about 100,000 metric tons of the mixture of the three acids. 

Benzene is hydrogenated to cyclohexane. Cyclohexane is then oxidized to cyclohexanol, cyclohexanone, or adipic acid (qv). Adipic acid is used to produce nylon. Cyclohexane manufacture was responsible for about 14% of benzene consumption in 1988. 

Other Acids. Ascorbic acid (3) is used primarily as an antioxidant and to a lesser extent as an added nutrient ia beverages. It oxidizes readily, preventing the oxidation of certain flavoting compounds. Tartaric (4) and adipic acids are used to a lesser extent ia grape flavored beverages. Malic acid can be used as an alternative to citric acid ia some fmit flavored beverages. 

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... 

Cyclohexanone shows most of the typical reactions of aUphatic ketones. It reacts with hydroxjiamine, phenyUiydrazine, semicarbazide, Grignard reagents, hydrogen cyanide, sodium bisulfite, etc, to form the usual addition products, and it undergoes the various condensation reactions that are typical of ketones having cx-methylene groups. Reduction converts cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol or cyclohexane, and oxidation with nitric acid converts cyclohexanone almost quantitatively to adipic acid. 

CycHzation with loss of one carboxyl takes place in the presence of metal oxides, notably barium and thorium. Thus adipic acid yields cyclopentanone, carbon dioxide, and water (Dieckmaim reaction). 

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