Aromatic compound sulfur

FIGURE 4.14 Additional aromatic compounds, sulfur, and sterene distribution based on gas chromatograph results. 

Because the alkane feedstock consists of n-alkanes with a range of chain lengths, the final preparation contains a mixture of their chlorinated analogues. PCA mixtures may be contaminated by isoparaffins, aromatic compounds, sulfur, metals, and unreacted n-alkanes [4, 5]. As the purity of tt-paraffin feedstocks has improved so to has the purity of the PCA products [11, 12]. Commercial products may contain additives added to inhibit decomposition of the PCA, via HCl loss, at elevated temperatures and to increase flame retardancy (e.g., antimony oxide). Common stabilizers include epoxides and organotin compounds [6]. The concentration of these additives, however, is usually below 0.05% [13],... 

Catalytic hydrotreating removes contaminants from liquid petroleum fractions. It also saturates most olefins and many aromatic compounds. Sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and metals are the most troublesome impurities. If not removed, they can deactivate catalysts, contaminate finished products, and accelerate corrosion in downstream equipment. 

During my Cleveland years, I also continued and extended my studies in nitration, which I started in the early 1950s in Hungary. Conventional nitration of aromatic compounds uses mixed acid (mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid). The water formed in the reaetion dilutes the acid, and spent aeid disposal is beeoming a serious environ-... 

Sulfonation (Section 12 4) Sulfonic acids are formed when aromatic compounds are treated with sources of sulfur trioxide These sources can be concentrated sulfuric acid (for very reactive arenes) or solutions of sulfur trioxide in sulfuric acid (for ben zene and arenes less reactive than ben zene)... 

The chemical oil contains ca 50 wt % naphthalene, 6 wt % tar acids, 3 wt % tar bases, and numerous other aromatic compounds. The chemical oil is processed to remove the tar acids by contacting with dilute sodium hydroxide and, in a few cases, is next treated to remove tar bases by washing with sulfuric acid. 

Methyl- and dimethylnaphthalenes are contained in coke-oven tar and in certain petroleum fractions in significant amounts. A typical high temperature coke-oven coal tar, for example, contains ca 3 wt % of combined methyl- and dimethylnaphthalenes (6). In the United States, separation of individual isomers is seldom attempted instead a methylnaphtha1 ene-rich fraction is produced for commercial purposes. Such mixtures are used for solvents for pesticides, sulfur, and various aromatic compounds. They also can be used as low freezing, stable heat-transfer fluids. Mixtures that are rich in monomethyinaphthalene content have been used as dye carriers (qv) for color intensification in the dyeing of synthetic fibers, eg, polyester. They also are used as the feedstock to make naphthalene in dealkylation processes. PhthaUc anhydride also can be made from m ethyl n aph th al en e mixtures by an oxidation process that is similar to that used for naphthalene. 

The term naphthenic acid, as commonly used in the petroleum industry, refers collectively to all of the carboxyUc acids present in cmde oil. Naphthenic acids [1338-24-5] are classified as monobasic carboxyUc acids of the general formula RCOOH, where R represents the naphthene moiety consisting of cyclopentane and cyclohexane derivatives. Naphthenic acids are composed predorninandy of aLkyl-substituted cycloaUphatic carboxyUc acids, with smaller amounts of acycHc aUphatic (paraffinic or fatty) acids. Aromatic, olefinic, hydroxy, and dibasic acids are considered to be minor components. Commercial naphthenic acids also contain varying amounts of unsaponifiable hydrocarbons, phenoHc compounds, sulfur compounds, and water. The complex mixture of acids is derived from straight-mn distillates of petroleum, mosdy from kerosene and diesel fractions (see Petroleum). 

Organic Reactions. Nitric acid is used extensively ia iadustry to nitrate aHphatic and aromatic compounds (21). In many iastances nitration requires the use of sulfuric acid as a dehydrating agent or catalyst the extent of nitration achieved depends on the concentration of nitric and sulfuric acids used. This is of iadustrial importance ia the manufacture of nitrobenzene and dinitrotoluene, which are iatermediates ia the manufacture of polyurethanes. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive. Various isomers of mononitrotoluene are used to make optical brighteners, herbicides (qv), and iasecticides. Such nitrations are generally attributed to the presence of the nitronium ion, NO2, the concentration of which iacreases with acid strength (see Nitration). 

Aromatic Compounds. The accepted general mechanism (38—40,51) for the reaction of an aromatic compound with sulfur trioxide involves an activated intermediate as shown in equation 1. 

Sulfonic acids are prone to reduction with iodine [7553-56-2] in the presence of triphenylphosphine [603-35-0] to produce the corresponding iodides. This type of reduction is also facile with alkyl sulfonates (16). Aromatic sulfonic acids may also be reduced electrochemicaHy to give the parent arene. However, sulfonic acids, when reduced with iodine and phosphoms [7723-14-0] produce thiols (qv). Amination of sulfonates has also been reported, in which the carbon—sulfur bond is cleaved (17). Ortho-Hthiation of sulfonic acid lithium salts has proven to be a useful technique for organic syntheses, but has Httie commercial importance. Optically active sulfonates have been used in asymmetric syntheses to selectively O-alkylate alcohols and phenols, typically on a laboratory scale. Aromatic sulfonates are cleaved, ie, desulfonated, by uv radiation to give the parent aromatic compound and a coupling product of the aromatic compound, as shown, where Ar represents an aryl group (18). 

Sulfonic acids may be subjected to a variety of transformation conditions, as shown in Figure 2. Sulfonic acids can be used to produce sulfonic anhydrides by treatment with a dehydrating agent, such as thionyl chloride [7719-09-7J. This transformation is also accomphshed using phosphoms pentoxide [1314-56-3J. Sulfonic anhydrides, particulady aromatic sulfonic anhydrides, are often produced in situ during sulfonation with sulfur trioxide. Under dehydrating conditions, sulfonic acids react with substituted aromatic compounds to give sulfone derivatives. 

Coke-oven tar is an extremely complex mixture, the main components of which are aromatic hydrocarbons ranging from the monocyclics benzene and alkylbenzenes to polycycHc compounds containing as many as twenty or more rings. HeterocycHc compounds containing oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur, but usually only one heteroatom per ring system are present. Small amounts of paraffinic, olefinic, and partly saturated aromatic compounds also occur. 

In the presence of Eriedel-Crafts catalysts, gaseous ethyl chloride reacts with ben2ene at about 25°C to give ethylben2ene, three diethylben2enes, and other more complex compounds (12) (see Xylenes and ethylbenzene). Aromatic compounds can generally be ethylated by ethyl chloride in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride (see Eriedel-Crafts REACTIONS). Ethyl chloride combines directly with sulfur trioxide to give ethyl chlorosulfonate,... 

Nitrobenzotrichloride is also obtained in high yield with no significant hydrolysis when nitration with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids is carried out below 30°C (31). 2,4-Dihydroxybenzophenone [131 -56-6] is formed in 90% yield by the uncatalyzed reaction of benzotrichloride with resorcinol in hydroxyHc solvents (32) or in benzene containing methanol or ethanol (33). Benzophenone derivatives are formed from a variety of aromatic compounds by reaction with benzotrichloride in aqueous or alcohoHc hydrofluoric acid (34). 

It resembles tetracyanoethylene in that it adds reagents such as hydrogen (31), sulfurous acid (31), and tetrahydrofuran (32) to the ends of the conjugated system of carbon atoms suffers displacement of one or two cyano groups by nucleophilic reagents such as amines (33) or sodiomalononittile (34) forms TT-complexes with aromatic compounds (35) and takes an electron from iodide ion, copper, or tertiary amines to form an anion radical (35,36). The anion radical has been isolated as salts of the formula (TCNQ) where is a metal or ammonium cation, and n = 1, 1.5, or 2. Some of these salts have... 

The existence of the nitronium ion in sulfuric-nitric acid mixtures was demonstrated both by cryoscopic measurements and by spectroscopy. An increase in the strong acid concentration increases the rate of reaction by shifting the equilibrium of step 1 to the right. Addition of a nitrate salt has the opposite effect by suppressing the preequilibrium dissociation of nitric acid. It is possible to prepare crystalline salts of nitronium ions, such as nitronium tetrafluoroborate. Solutions of these salts in organic solvents rapidly nitrate aromatic compounds. ... 

Tnfluoroacetic anhydnde in a mixture with sulfuric acid is an efficient reagent for the sulfonylation of aromatic compounds [44] The reaction of benzene with this system in nitromethane at room temperature gives diphenyl sulfone in 61% yield Alkyl and alkoxy benzenes under similar conditions form the corresponding diaryl sulfones in almost quantitative yield, whereas yields of sulfones from deactivated arenes such as chlorobenzene are substantially lower [44] The same reagent (tnfluoroacetic anhydride-sulfunc acid) reacts with adamantane and its derivatives with formation of isomeric adamantanols, adamantanones, and cyclic sultones [45]... 

Tnflic acid is an excellent catalyst for the nitration of aromatic compounds [.S7]. In a mixture with nitnc acid, it forms the highly electrophilic nitronium inflate, which can be isolated as a white crystalline solid Nitronium inflate is a powerful nitrating reagent in inert organie solvents and in tnflic acid or sulfuric acid. It nitrates benzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, m-xylene, and benzotn-fluoride quantitatively in the temperature range of-110 to 30 °C with exeeptionally high positional selectivity [87],... 

Keim and co-workers have carried out various alkylation reactions of aromatic compounds in ionic liquids substantially free of Lewis acidity [84]. An example is the reaction between benzene and decene in [BMIM][HS04], which was used together with sulfuric acid as the catalyst (Scheme 5.1-54). These authors have also claimed that these acid-ionic liquids systems can be used for esterification reactions. 

Sulfur Compounds. All crude oils contain sulfur in one of several forms including elemental sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide (COS), and in aliphatic and aromatic compounds. The amount of sulfur-containing compounds increases progressively with an increase in the boiling point of the fraction. A majority of these compounds have one sulfur atom per molecule, but certain aromatic and polynuclear aromatic molecules found in low concentrations in crude oil contain two and even three sulfur atoms. Identification of the individual sulfur compounds in the heavy fractions poses a considerable challenge to the analytical chemist. 

Although hydrotreating increases the percentage of sulfur in coke and slurry, the actual amount of sulfur is substantially less than in the nontreated feeds. Sulfur still plays a minor role in unit conversion and yields. Its affect on processing is minimal. Some aromatic sulfur compounds do not convert, but this is no different from other aromatic compounds. They become predominately cycle oil and slurry. This tends to lower conversion and reduce maximum yields. 

In some sulfur extrusions from 2,7-di-/ Tt-butylthiepins a byproduct containing two sulfur atoms is obtained, along with the aromatic compound. The byproduct has been characterized as a thienothiophene by single crystal X-ray analysis.92... 

The C-nitrosation of aromatic compounds is characterized by similar reaction conditions and mechanisms to those discussed earlier in this section. The reaction is normally carried out in a strongly acidic solution, and in most cases it is the nitrosyl ion which attacks the aromatic ring in the manner of an electrophilic aromatic substitution, i. e., via a a-complex as steady-state intermediate (see review by Williams, 1988, p. 58). We mention C-nitrosation here because it may interfere with diazotization of strongly basic aromatic amines if the reaction is carried out in concentrated sulfuric acid. Little information on such unwanted C-nitrosations of aromatic amines has been published (Blangey, 1938 see Sec. 2.2). 

A number of radical anions of sulfur-containing aromatic compounds have been studied essentially by means of ESR spectroscopy and sometimes by electronic spectroscopy. The studied compounds include aromatic rings separated by the oxidized sulfur functionality. The effects caused by the latter depend on the geometry and topology of the aromatic systems as well as on the electron-withdrawing ability of the other substituents. 

Diaryl sulfides can be prepared by treating aromatic compounds with SCI, and a Friedel-Crafts catalyst. Other reagents that can bring about the same result are S2CI2, thionyl chloride, and even sulfur itself. A catalyst is not always necessary. 

The latter reagent also methylates certain heterocyclic compounds (e.g., quinoline) and certain fused aromatic compounds (e.g., anthracene, phenanthrene). The reactions with the sulfur carbanions are especially useful, since none of these substrates can be methylated by the Friedel-Crafts procedure (11-12). It has been reported that aromatic nitro compounds can also be alkylated, not only with methyl but with other alkyl and substituted alkyl groups as well, in ortho and para positions, by treatment with an alkyllithium compound (or, with lower yields, a Grignard reagent), followed by an oxidizing agent such as Bra or DDQ (P- 1511). 

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