Aqueous olefin

Very recently, an aqueous olefin polymerization using an early transition metal catalyst has also been reported [84]. A toluene solution of styrene is prepolymerized briefly by a catalyst prepared by combination of [(CsMesjTifOMe),] with a borate and an aluminum-alkyl as activators. The reaction mixture is then emulsified in water, where further polymerization occurs to form syndiotactic polystyrene stereoselectively. It is assumed that the catalyst is contained in emulsified droplets and is thus protected from water, with the formation of crystalline polymer enhancing this effect. Cationic or neutral surfactants were found to be suitable, whereas anionic surfactants deactivated the catalyst. The crystalline polystyrene formed was reported to precipitate from the reaction mixture as relatively large particles (500 pm). 

A number of issues and challenges will be of particular interest in the future. Up to now, little data is available regarding latex properties, such as stability and film formation, and on the properties of the resulting films (such as adhesion to substrates of varying polarity). In aqueous olefin polymerizations, these properties... 

Burtscher D, Grela K. Aqueous olefin metathesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009 48 442-454. 

For chemical processes, some examples are the elimination of aromatics by sulfonation, the elimination of olefins by bromine addition on the double bond (bromine number), the elimination of conjugated diolefins as in the case of the maleic anhydride value (MAV), and the extraction of bases or acids by contact with aqueous acidic or basic solutions. 

The reaction has been extended to include carbanions generated from phosphonates. This is often referred to as the Horner-Wittig or Homer-Emmons reaction. The Horner-Emmons reaction has a number of advantages over the conventional Wittig reaction. It occurs with a wider variety of aldehydes and ketones under relatively mild conditions as a result of the higher nucleophilicity of the phosphonate carbanions. The separation of the olefinic product is easier due to the aqueous solubility of the phosphate by-product, and the phosphonates are readily available from the Arbusov reaction. Furthermore, although the reaction itself is not stereospecific, the majority favor the formation of the trans olefin and many produce the trans isomer as the sole product. 

The direct oxidation of ethylene is used to produce acetaldehyde (qv) ia the Wacker-Hoechst process. The catalyst system is an aqueous solution of palladium chloride and cupric chloride. Under appropriate conditions an olefin can be oxidized to form an unsaturated aldehyde such as the production of acroleia [107-02-8] from propjiene (see Acrolein and derivatives). 

Another attractive commercial route to MEK is via direct oxidation of / -butenes (34—39) in a reaction analogous to the Wacker-Hoechst process for acetaldehyde production via ethylene oxidation. In the Wacker-Hoechst process the oxidation of olefins is conducted in an aqueous solution containing palladium and copper chlorides. However, unlike acetaldehyde production, / -butene oxidation has not proved commercially successflil because chlorinated butanones and butyraldehyde by-products form which both reduce yields and compHcate product purification, and also because titanium-lined equipment is required to withstand chloride corrosion. 

In the manufacture of 2-naphthalenol, 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid must be converted to its sodium salt this can be done by adding sodium chloride to the acid, and by neutralizing with aqueous sodium hydroxide or neutralizing with the sodium sulfite by-product obtained in the caustic fusion of the sulfonate. The cmde sulfonation product, without isolation or purification of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, is used to make 1,6-, 2,6-, and 2,7-naphthalenedisulfonic acids and 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonic acid by further sulfonation. By nitration, 5- and 8-nitro-2-naphthalenesulfonic acids, [89-69-1] and [117-41-9] respectively, are obtained, which are intermediates for Cleve s acid. All are dye intermediates. The cmde sulfonation product can be condensed with formaldehyde or alcohols or olefins to make valuable wetting, dispersing, and tanning agents. 

On dehydration, nitro alcohols yield nitro-olefins. The ester of the nitro alcohol is treated with caustic or is refluxed with a reagent, eg, phthaUc anhydride or phosphoms pentoxide. A mil der method involves the use of methane sulfonyl chloride to transform the hydroxyl into a better leaving group. Yields up to 80% after a reaction time of 15 min at 0°C have been reported (5). In aqueous solution, nitro alcohols decompose at pH 7.0 with the formation of formaldehyde. One mole of formaldehyde is released per mole of monohydric nitro alcohol, and two moles of formaldehyde are released by the nitrodiols. However, 2-hydroxymethyl-2-nitro-l,3-propanediol gives only two moles of formaldehyde instead of the expected three moles. The rate of release of formaldehyde increases with the pH or the temperature or both. 

Acute oral LD q data for nitro alcohols in mice are given in Table 1. Because of their low volatiHty, the nitro alcohols present no vapor inhalation ha2ard. They are nonirritating to the skin and, except for 2-nitro-1-butanol, are nonirritating when introduced as a 1 wt % aqueous solution in the eye of a rabbit. When 0.1 mL of 1 wt % commercial-grade 2-nitro-1-butanol in water is introduced into the eyes of rabbits, severe and permanent corneal scarring results. This anomalous behavior may be caused by the presence of a nitro-olefin impurity in the unpurifted commercial product. 

Functional Olefin Hydroformylation. There has been widespread academic (18,19) and industrial (20) interest in functional olefin hydroformylation as a route to polyfiinctional molecules, eg, diols. There are two commercially practiced oxo processes employing functionalized olefin feedstocks. Akyl alcohol hydroformylation is carried out by Arco under Hcense from Kuraray (20,21). 1,4-Butanediol [110-63 ] is produced by successive hydroformylation of aHyl alcohol [107-18-6] aqueous extraction of the intermediate 2-hydroxytetrahydrofuran, and subsequent hydrogenation. 

Arsenic Peroxides. Arsenic peroxides have not been isolated however, elemental arsenic, and a great variety of arsenic compounds, have been found to be effective catalysts ia the epoxidation of olefins by aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Transient peroxoarsenic compounds are beheved to be iavolved ia these systems. Compounds that act as effective epoxidation catalysts iaclude arsenic trioxide, arsenic pentoxide, arsenious acid, arsenic acid, arsenic trichloride, arsenic oxychloride, triphenyl arsiae, phenylarsonic acid, and the arsenates of sodium, ammonium, and bismuth (56). To avoid having to dispose of the toxic residues of these reactions, the arsenic can be immobi1i2ed on a polystyrene resia (57). 

The principal use of the peroxodisulfate salts is as initiators (qv) for olefin polymerisation in aqueous systems, particularly for the manufacture of polyacrylonitrile and its copolymers (see Acrylonitrile polymers). These salts are used in the emulsion polymerisation of vinyl chloride, styrene—butadiene, vinyl acetate, neoprene, and acryhc esters (see Acrylic ester polymers Styrene Vinyl polymers). 

General Reaction Chemistry of Sulfonic Acids. Sulfonic acids may be used to produce sulfonic acid esters, which are derived from epoxides, olefins, alkynes, aHenes, and ketenes, as shown in Figure 1 (10). Sulfonic acids may be converted to sulfonamides via reaction with an amine in the presence of phosphoms oxychloride [10025-87-3] POCl (H)- Because sulfonic acids are generally not converted directiy to sulfonamides, the reaction most likely involves a sulfonyl chloride intermediate. Phosphoms pentachlotide [10026-13-8] and phosphoms pentabromide [7789-69-7] can be used to convert sulfonic acids to the corresponding sulfonyl haUdes (12,13). The conversion may also be accompHshed by continuous electrolysis of thiols or disulfides in the presence of aqueous HCl [7647-01-0] (14) or by direct sulfonation with chlorosulfuric acid. Sulfonyl fluorides are typically prepared by direct sulfonation with fluorosulfutic acid [7789-21-17, or by reaction of the sulfonic acid or sulfonate with fluorosulfutic acid. Halogenation of sulfonic acids, which avoids production of a sulfonyl haUde, can be achieved under oxidative halogenation conditions (15). 

A new homogeneous process for hydroformylation of olefins using a water-soluble catalyst has been developed (40). The catalyst is based on a rhodium complex and utilizes a water-soluble phosphine such as tri(M-sulfophenyl)phosphine. The use of an aqueous phase simplifies the separation of the catalyst and products (see Oxo process). 

Carbene Reactions. The best procedure for preparing dihalocarbene adducts of olefins consists in stirring a haloform—methylene chloride solution with an excess of concentrated aqueous caustic soda in the presence of hen 2y1triethy1 amm onium chloride. Even stericahy hindered and electronically deactivated compounds give excellent yields (32). Mixed dihalocarbenes, CXY (X,Y = E, Cl, Br, I), except for CE2, can be prepared. 

Almost 40 years later the Lummus Co. patented an integrated process involving the addition of chlorine along with the sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide from the cathode side of an electrolytic cell to a tertiary alcohol such as tertiary butanol to produce the tertiary alkyl hypochlorite. The hypochlorite phase separates, and the aqueous brine solution is returned to the electrolytic cells. The alkyl hypochlorite reacts with an olefin in the presence of water to produce a chlorohydrin and the tertiary alcohol, which is returned to the chlorinator. With propylene, a selectivity to the chlorohydrin of better than 96% is reported (52). A series of other patents covering this technology appeared during the 1980s (53—56). 

The palladium chloride process for oxidizing olefins to aldehydes in aqueous solution (Wacker process) apparendy involves an intermediate anionic complex such as dichloro(ethylene)hydroxopalladate(II) or else a neutral aqua complex PdCl2 (CH2=CH2)(H2 0). The coordinated PdCl2 is reduced to Pd during the olefin oxidation and is reoxidized by the cupric—cuprous chloride couple, which in turn is reoxidized by oxygen, and the net reaction for any olefin (RCH=CH2) is then... 

With phosphoric acid-based catalysts, in which the active component is Hquid acid absorbed in the pores of the support, the reaction probably follows the path (119) for the hydration of olefins in aqueous solution ... 

Alkyl chlorides. Olefins are chlorinated to alkyl chlorides in a single fluidized bed. HCl reacts with O9 over a copper chloride catalyst to form chlorine. The chlorine reacts with the olefin to form the alkyl chloride. The process developed by the Shell Development Co. uses a recycle of cat yst fines in aqueous HCl to control the temperature [Chem. Proc., 16, 42 (1953)]. 

Di-tert-butyl peroxide (tert-butyl peroxide) [110-05-4] M 146.2, d 0.794, n 1.389. Washed with aqueous AgN03 to remove olefinic impurities, water and dried (MgS04). Freed from /cr/-butyl hydroperoxide by passage through an alumina column [Jackson et al. J Am Chem Soc 107 208 1985], and if necessary two high vacuum distns from room temp to a liquid-air trap [Offenbach and Tobolsky J Am Chem Soc 79 278 1957]. The necessary protection from EXPLOSION should be used. 

Dried with CaH2, then passed through a column of silica gel to remove oleFinic impurities and fractionally distd. Freed from peroxides and moisture by refluxing with sodium, then distilling from LiAlH4. Alternatively, peroxides can be removed by treatment with aqueous ferrous sulfate and sodium bisulfate, followed by solid KOH, and fractional distn from sodium. 

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