Benzoic acid manufacture

Benzoic acid manufacture cobalt catalysts, 386 Benzoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-minerals... 

It was first described in 1608 when it was sublimed out of gum benzoin. It also occurs in many other natural resins. Benzoic acid is manufactured by the air oxidation of toluene in the liquid phase at 150°C and 4-6 atm. in the presence of a cobalt catalyst by the partial decarboxylation of phthalic anhydride in either the liquid or vapour phase in the presence of water by the hydrolysis of benzotrichloride (from the chlorination of toluene) in the presence of zinc chloride at 100°C. 

Much of the benzoic acid produced is converted to sodium benzoate, which is used as a food preservative (as is the acid) and a corrosion inhibi tor. Other important uses of the acid are in the manufacture of alkyd resins, plasticizers, caprolactam, dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals. 

The cumene oxidation route is the lea ding commercial process of synthetic phenol production, accounting for more than 95% of phenol produced in the world. The remainder of synthetic phenol is produced by the toluene oxidation route via benzoic acid. Other processes including benzene via cyclohexane, benzene sulfonation, benzene chlorination, and benzene oxychl orin ation have also been used in the manufacture of phenol. A Hst of U.S. phenol production plants and their estimated capacities in 1994 are shown in Table 2, and worldwide plants and capacities are shown in Table 3. 

Benzoic Acid. Ben2oic acid is manufactured from toluene by oxidation in the liquid phase using air and a cobalt catalyst. Typical conditions are 308—790 kPa (30—100 psi) and 130—160°C. The cmde product is purified by distillation, crystallization, or both. Yields are generally >90 mol%, and product purity is generally >99%. Kalama Chemical Company, the largest producer, converts about half of its production to phenol, but most producers consider the most economic process for phenol to be peroxidation of cumene. Other uses of benzoic acid are for the manufacture of benzoyl chloride, of plasticizers such as butyl benzoate, and of sodium benzoate for use in preservatives. In Italy, Snia Viscosa uses benzoic acid as raw material for the production of caprolactam, and subsequendy nylon-6, by the sequence shown below. 

Benzyl Chloride. Benzyl chloride is manufactured by high temperature free-radical chlorination of toluene. The yield of benzyl chloride is maximized by use of excess toluene in the feed. More than half of the benzyl chloride produced is converted by butyl benzyl phthalate by reaction with monosodium butyl phthalate. The remainder is hydrolyzed to benzyl alcohol, which is converted to ahphatic esters for use in soaps, perfume, and davors. Benzyl salicylate is used as a sunscreen in lotions and creams. By-product benzal chloride can be converted to benzaldehyde, which is also produced directiy by oxidation of toluene and as a by-product during formation of benzoic acid. By-product ben zotrichl oride is not hydrolyzed to make benzoic acid but is allowed to react with benzoic acid to yield benzoyl chloride. 

Animals caimot synthesize the naphthoquinone ring of vitamin K, but necessary quantities are obtained by ingestion and from manufacture by intestinal flora. In plants and bacteria, the desired naphthoquinone ring is synthesized from 2-oxoglutaric acid (12) and shikimic acid (13) (71,72). Chorismic acid (14) reacts with a putative succinic semialdehyde TPP anion to form o-succinyl benzoic acid (73,74). In a second step, ortho-succmY benzoic acid is converted to the key intermediate, l,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid. Prenylation with phytyl pyrophosphate is followed by decarboxylation and methylation to complete the biosynthesis (75). 

In the past benzal and benzyl chlorides were co-produced for the manufacture of benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol, but today the vast majority of the benzaldehyde produced from benzal chloride is that which is made from recovered (by-product) material. For an historical article regarding the chlorination of toluene and the subsequent production of benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid, see reference 4. 

In the United States all other processes have been completely phased out and virtually all benzoic acid is manufactured by the continuous hquid-phase air oxidation of toluene. In the late 1950s and the early 1960s both Dow Chemical and Snia Viscosa constmcted faciUties for Hquid-phase toluene oxidation because of large requirements for benzoic acid in the production of phenol and caprolactam. Benzoic acid, its salts, and esters are very useful and find appHcation in medicinals, food and industrial preservatives, cosmetics, resins, plasticizers, dyestuffs, and fibers. 

The bulk of this benzoic acid production capacity is consumed internally by the producers. Kalama and Chatterton convert over half of their production to phenol. A large portion of Velsicol s benzoic acid production is utilized in the manufacture of glycol dibenzoate plasticizer esters. 

Trace impurities present in commercial benzoic acid include methyl diphenyls and phthaHc acids. The concentration and presence of these impurities vary by product grade and by manufacturer. Gas chromatography and high pressure Hquid chromatography are useful for determining the concentrations of those impurities. 

Caprolactam. At the same time that Dow was constmcting toluene to phenol plants, Snia Viscosa (28—30) introduced two processes for the manufacture of caprolactam (qv) from benzoic acid. The earlier process produced ammonium sulfate as a by-product, but the latter process did not. In either process benzoic acid is hydrogenated to cyclohexanecarboxyHc acid [98-89-5] which then reacts with nitrosylsulfuric acid to form caprolactam [105-60-2]. 

The use of the potassium salt of benzoic acid is relatively new. Concerns regarding sodium intake and its possible relationship to high blood pressure have caused some soft drink manufacturers to switch to potassium benzoate. 

Nearly all of the benzal chloride produced is consumed in the manufacture of benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde (qv) is used in the manufacture of perfume and flavor chemicals, dyes, and pharmaceuticals. The principal part of benzotrichloride production is used in the manufacture of benzoyl chloride (see Benzoic acid). Lesser amounts are consumed in the manufacture of benzotrifluoride, as a dyestuff intermediate, and in producing hydroxybenzophenone ultraviolet light stabilizers. Benzotrifluoride is an important intermediate in the manufacture of herbicides, pharmaceuticals, antimicrobial agents, and the lampreycide, 4-nitro-3-(trifluorometh5l)phenol [88-30-2]. 

The 0- and -monochloro- and 2,4- and 3,4-dichlorobenzotrichlorides are iatermediates ia the manufacture of the corresponding chlotinated benzoic acids and benzoyl chlorides. Fluotination of the chlotinated benzotrichlorides produces the chlotinated benzotrifluorides, iatermediates ia the manufacture of dinitroaniline and diphenyl ether herbicides (76). 

Your company receives toluene, a listed toxic chemical, from another facility, reacts the toluene with air to form benzoic acid, and further reacts the benzoic acid with a cadmium catalyst to form terephthallc acid. Cadmium compounds and terephthallc acid are also listed toxic chemicals. Your company processes toluene, and otherwise uses (not processes) the cadmium catalyst (see the definition of "otherwise use" below). Your company manufactures benzoic acid and terephthallc acid. Benzoic acid, however, is not a listed chemical and thus does not trigger reporting requirements. 

Methyl Anthranilate.—This ester is one of extreme importance, and to it is largely due the possibility of manufacturing artificial neroli oils. It was discovered as a constituent of neroli oil in 1895 by Walbaum, and has since been identified in numerous other flower oils, such as tuberose, ylang-ylang, jasmin, and gardenia. Its value in synthetic perfumery is therefore obvious. Its constitution is that of a methyl ester or orthp-amido-benzoic acid, of the formula here shown —... 

Consequently, as a result of increasing environmental pressure many chlorine and nitric acid based processes for the manufacture of substituted aromatic acids are currently being replaced by cleaner, catalytic autoxidation processes. Benzoic acid is traditionally manufactured (ref. 14) via cobalt-catalyzed autoxidation of toluene in the absence of solvent (Fig. 2). The selectivity is ca. 90% at 30% toluene conversion. As noted earlier, oxidation of p-xylene under these conditions gives p-toluic acid in high yield. For further oxidation to terephthalic acid the stronger bromide/cobalt/manganese cocktail is needed. 

Another case of high nitrosamine concentration in chlorinated phenoxy- and benzoic acid herbicides was resolved by the elimination by the manufacturer of nitrite salts in the formu-... 

Hercules Chemical produced an acidic organic waste derived from the manufacture of dimethyl terphthalate, which is used in the production of synthetic liber. The average dissolved organic carbon concentration was about 7100 mg/L and included acetic acid, formic acid, p-toluic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, terphthalic acid, and benzoic acid. The pH ranged from 3.5 to 4.0. The waste also contained traces (less than 0.5 mg/L) of 11 other organic compounds, including dimethyl phthalate, a listed hazardous waste. 

The cell is suitable for the manufacture of (i) metal alkoxides, (ii) thiolates, (iii) carboxylates, (iv) hydroxides, (v) organometallics and chemicals such as diphenylacetic acid, (vi) ortho- and para-trifluoromethyl-benzoic acid, (vii) aryl-... 

Toluene-benzoic acid process, of phenol manufacture, 18 750 Toluene diamine (TDA), 13 797 Toluenediamine (TDA), 25 189-201. See also Toluenediamines chain extenders for, 25 197 derivatives of, 25 196-197 diazotization of, 25 192 health and safety factors related to, 25 196... 

Toluene is used more commonly than the other BTXs as a commercial solvent. There are scores of solvent applications, though environmental constraints and health concerns diminish the enthusiasm for these uses. Toluene also is used to make toluene diisocyanate, the precursor to polyurethane foams. Other derivatives include phenol, benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid. Research continues on ways to use toluene in applications that now require benzene. The hope is that the dealkylation-to-benzene or disproportionation steps can be eliminated. Processes for manufacturing styrene and terephthalic acid—the precursor to polyester fiber—are good, commercial prospects. 

Uses Manufacturing phthalates, phthaleins, benzoic acid, synthetic indigo, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, chlorinated products, and artificial resins. 

The chemical and enzymatic oxidative degradation of lignin (and coal) is used to obtain not only vanillin and benzoic acid, but also other aromatics (Baciocchi et al. 1999, references therein). In principle, lignin could be a major nonfossil and renewable source of aromatic compounds, a feedstock for synthesis of useful products. The problem deserves finding new ion-radical routes to cleave lignin. At present, there is some shortage in oil, gas, and even coal, which had usually been well-available natural sources of aromatics. In the near future, biomass may (and must) replace fossil-originated materials in the manufacture of commercial carbon-based products. 

Hexanedioic acid is used in the manufacture of nylon-6, 6. Esters of benzoic acid are used in perfumery. Sodium benzoate is used as a food preservative. Higher fatty acids are used for the manufacture of soaps and detergents. 

A minor route, which now accounts for 2% of phenol, takes advantage of the usual surplus of toluene from petroleum refining. Oxidation with a number of reagents gives benzoic acid. Further oxidation to p-hydroxybenzoic acid and decarboxylation yields phenol. Here phenol competes with benzene manufacture, also made from toluene when the surplus is large. The last 2% of phenol comes from distillation of petroleum and coal gasification. 

Other methods for the HPLC analysis of benzoic acid, as provided by various column manufactures, are presented in Table 8. 

Manufacture. ///-Hydroxybenzoic acid was first obtained by the action of nitrous acid on / -aminobenzoic acid (48). It is more conveniendy prepared by the sulfonation of benzoic acid with fuming sulfuric acid. The resulting ///-sulfobenzoic acid is mixed with salt and fused with caustic soda at 210—220°C. The fusion melt is dissolved in water and acidified with hydrochloric acid to precipitate the cmde product. Final purification is generally achieved by recrystallization from water. 

---