Benzoic production

Enynes linear dimers (such as 3.-5) have been proposed as intermediates to explain the formation of naphthalenic and benzoic products (15,16) during the thermal polymerization of arylacetylenes. 

It is readily oxidized by air to benzoic acid. With aqueous KOH gives benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid. Gives addition products with hydrogen cyanide and sodium hydrogen sulphite. 

Prepare a mixture of 30 ml, of aniline, 8 g. of o-chloro-benzoic acid, 8 g. of anhydrous potassium carbonate and 0 4 g. of copper oxide in a 500 ml. round-bottomed flask fitted with an air-condenser, and then boil the mixture under reflux for 1 5 hours the mixture tends to foam during the earlier part of the heating owing to the evolution of carbon dioxide, and hence the large flask is used. When the heating has been completed, fit the flask with a steam-distillation head, and stcam-distil the crude product until all the excess of aniline has been removed. The residual solution now contains the potassium. V-phenylanthrani-late add ca. 2 g. of animal charcoal to this solution, boil for about 5 minutes, and filter hot. Add dilute hydrochloric acid (1 1 by volume) to the filtrate until no further precipitation occurs, and then cool in ice-water with stirring. Filter otT the. V-phcnylanthranilic acid at the pump, wash with water, drain and dry. Yield, 9-9 5 g. I he acid may be recrystallised from aqueous ethanol, or methylated spirit, with addition of charcoal if necessary, and is obtained as colourless crystals, m.p. 185-186°. 

For substances with a moderate triple point pressure e.g., benzoic acid, 6 mm., m.p. 122° naphthalene, 7 mm., m.p. 80° ), the simple process described above for camphor will not give a satisfactory yield of a sublimed product. Thus, for example, if naphthalene is heated it will melt at T (80°), and will boil when the vapour pressure is 760 mm. (218°) ... 

The theory of sublimation, t.e. the direct conversion from the vapour to the sohd state without the intermediate formation of the liquid state, has been discussed in Section 1,19. The number of compounds which can be purified by sublimation under normal pressure is comparatively small (these include naphthalene, anthracene, benzoic acid, hexachloroethane, camphor, and the quinones). The process does, in general, yield products of high purity, but considerable loss of product may occur. 

If the benzoyl derivative is soluble in alkali, precipitate it together with the benzoic acid derived from the reagent by the addition of hydrochloric acid filter and extract the product with cold ether or light petroleum (b.p. 40-60°) to remove the benzoic acid. 

Benzaldehyde is easily oxidised by atmospheric oxygon giving, ultimately, benzoic acid. This auto-oxidation is considerably influenced by catalysts tiiose are considered to react with the unstable peroxide complexes which are the initial products of the oxidation. Catalysts which inhibit or retard auto-oxidation are termed anti-oxidants, and those that accelerate auto-oxidation are called pro-oxidants. Anti-oxidants find important applications in preserving many organic compounds, e.g., acrolein. For benzaldehyde, hydroquinone or catechol (considerably loss than U-1 per cent, is sufficient) are excellent anti-oxidants. 

Methylanthraquinone. Use 10 5 g. of p-toluyl-o-benzoic acid (preceding Section) and 90 g. (46 ml.) of fuming sulphuric acid (20 per cent. SO3). RecrystaUise the product from alcohol in the presence of a little decolourising carbon. The yield of pure p-methylanthraquinone, m.p. 176°, is 7 - 5 g. 

The preparation of a number of miscellaneous acids is described. m-Nitrobenzoic acid. Although m-nitrobenzoic acid is the main product of the direct nitration of benzoic acid with potassium nitrate and concentrated sulphuric acid, the complete separation of the small quantity of the attendant para isomer is a laborious process. It is preferable to nitrate methyl benzoate and hydrolyse the resulting methyl w-nitrobenzoate, which is easily obtained in a pure condition ... 

Prepare p-chlorobenzoyl chloride by refluxing and stirring 78 g. of p-chloro-benzoic acid (Section IV,157) and 100 g. of redistilled thionyl chloride until solution is complete. Distil off the excess of thionyl chloride at atmospheric pressure and then the acid chloride under reduced pressure 70 g. of product, b.p. 119-120°/ 22 mm., m.p. 14-15°. are obtained. 

Phenolsulphonephthalein (phenol red). Mix 10 g. of o-sulpho-benzoic anhydride (Section VIII,9), 14 g. of pure phenol and 10 g. of freshly fused zinc chloride in a small conical flask. Place a glass rod in the flask and heat gently over a flame to melt the phenol. Then heat the flask containing the well-stirred mixture in an oil bath at 135-140° for 4 hours. Stir from time to time, but more frequently during the first hour if the mixture froths unduly, remove the flask from the bath, cool and then resume the heating. When the reaction is complete, add 50 ml. of water, allow the water to boil and stir to disintegrate the product. Filter the crude dye with suction and wash it well with hot water. Dissolve the residue in the minimum volume of warm (60°) 20 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution, filter, and just acidify the filtrate with warm dilute hydrochloric acid (1 1). Filter the warm solution, wash with water, and dry upon filter paper. The yield of phenol red (a brilliant red powder) is 11 g. 

Because of the chemical similarity between benzoyl nitrate and the acetyl nitrate which is formed in solutions of nitric acid in acetic anhydride, it is tempting to draw analogies between the mechanisms of nitration in such solutions and in solutions of benzoyl nitrate in carbon tetrachloride. Similarities do exist, such as the production by these reagents of higher proportions of o-substituted products from some substrates than are produced by nitronium ions, as already mentioned and further discussed below. Further, in solutions in carbon tetrachloride of acetyl nitrate or benzoyl nitrate, the addition of acetic anhydride and benzoic anhydride respectively reduces the rate of reaction, implying that dinitrogen pentoxide may also be involved in nitration in acetic anhydride. However, for solutions in which acetic anhydride is also the solvent, the analogy should be drawn with caution, for in many ways the conditions are not comparable. Thus, carbon tetrachloride is a non-polar solvent, in which, as has been shown above,... 

On the other hand an alkyl side chain on a benzene nng is oxidized on being heated with chromic acid The product is benzoic acid or a substituted derivative of benzoic acid... 

Unsyimnetiical rhodainines can be piepaied by the condensations of one mole of a yW-aminophenol with phthahc anhydride to give an o-benzoyl benzoic acid (27) which is then further condensed with a different yW-aminophenol to give the requited product, Rhodamine 3GO (28) (2). A general route to asymmetrical acid xanthenes has been patented (39). 

Propiophenone. Propiophenone [93-55-0] (ethyl phenyl ketone) is a colorless Hquid with a flowery odor. It can be prepared by the Friedel-Crafts reaction of benzene and propionyl chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride (346), or by the catalytic reaction of benzoic acid and propionic acid in the presence of water (347). Propiophenone is commercially available (348), and is sold in Japan at 2700 Y/kg (349). It is used in the production of ephedrine, as a fragrance enhancer, and as a polymerization sensitizer. 

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. 

Fig. 2. Toluene—benzoic acid process for phenol production.

The most widely used process for the production of phenol is the cumene process developed and Hcensed in the United States by AHiedSignal (formerly AHied Chemical Corp.). Benzene is alkylated with propylene to produce cumene (isopropylbenzene), which is oxidized by air over a catalyst to produce cumene hydroperoxide (CHP). With acid catalysis, CHP undergoes controUed decomposition to produce phenol and acetone a-methylstyrene and acetophenone are the by-products (12) (see Cumene Phenol). Other commercial processes for making phenol include the Raschig process, using chlorobenzene as the starting material, and the toluene process, via a benzoic acid intermediate. In the United States, 35-40% of the phenol produced is used for phenoHc resins. 

Henkel Rearrangement of Benzoic Acid and Phthalic Anhydride. Henkel technology is based on the conversion of benzenecarboxyhc acids to their potassium salts. The salts are rearranged in the presence of carbon dioxide and a catalyst such as cadmium or zinc oxide to form dipotassium terephthalate, which is converted to terephthahc acid (59—61). Henkel technology is obsolete and is no longer practiced, but it was once commercialized by Teijin Hercules Chemical Co. and Kawasaki Kasei Chemicals Ltd. Both processes foUowed a route starting with oxidation of napthalene to phthahc anhydride. In the Teijin process, the phthaHc anhydride was converted sequentially to monopotassium and then dipotassium o-phthalate by aqueous recycle of monopotassium and dipotassium terephthalate (62). The dipotassium o-phthalate was recovered and isomerized in carbon dioxide at a pressure of 1000—5000 kPa ( 10 50 atm) and at 350—450°C. The product dipotassium terephthalate was dissolved in water and recycled as noted above. Production of monopotassium o-phthalate released terephthahc acid, which was filtered, dried, and stored (63,64). 

Mitsubishi Chemical Industries, Ltd. practiced a Henkel II technology starting with toluene to produce benzoic acid. Reaction of benzoic acid with potassium hydroxide resulted in potassium benzoate, which was subjected to a disproportionation reaction to produce dipotassium terephthalate and benzene. Dipotassium terephthalate reacted with sulfuric acid, and the resulting terephthahc acid was recovered by filtration and drying (65,66). Here, dipotassium sulfate was the by-product. 

Acylation. Aromatic amines react with acids, acid chlorides, anhydrides, and esters to form amides. In general, acid chlorides give the best yield of the pure product. The reaction with acetic, propionic, butanoic, or benzoic acid can be catalyzed with phosphoms oxychloride or trichloride. 

Styrene undergoes many reactions of an unsaturated compound, such as addition, and of an aromatic compound, such as substitution (2,8). It reacts with various oxidising agents to form styrene oxide, ben2aldehyde, benzoic acid, and other oxygenated compounds. It reacts with benzene on an acidic catalyst to form diphenylethane. Further dehydrogenation of styrene to phenylacetylene is unfavorable even at the high temperature of 600°C, but a concentration of about 50 ppm of phenylacetylene is usually seen in the commercial styrene product. 

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. 

Benzaldehyde. Annual production of ben2aldehyde requires ca 6,500—10,000 t (2-3 x 10 gal) of toluene. It is produced mainly as by-product during oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid, but some is produced by hydrolysis of ben2al chloride. The main use of ben2aldehyde is as a chemical intermediate for production of fine chemicals used for food flavoring, pharmaceuticals, herbicides, and dyestuffs. 

In addition to the acid—base components shown in Figure 9, various organic acids are often found. Many of these acids are by-products of the atmospheric oxidation of organic matter released into the atmosphere. Of special interest are formic, acetic, oxaUc, and benzoic acids, which have been found in rainwater in concentrations occasionally exceeding a few micromoles per Hter. 

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. 

Benzaldehyde is produced ia the United States by Kalama Chemical Incorporated, Kalama, Washington and ia Canada by Chatterton Petrochemical Corporation, Delta, British Columbia. Both plants were constmcted by The Dow Chemical Company ia the early 1960s to produce phenol from benzoic acid and both produce benzaldehyde as a by-product of that process (6). Production and sales figures for benzaldehyde are not available. 

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. 

Benzoic acid in the free state, or in the form of simple derivatives such as salts, esters, and amides, is widely distributed in nature. Gum benzoin (from styrax ben in) may contain as much as 20% benzoic acid in the free state or in combinations easily broken up by heating. Acaroid resin (from anthorrhoca haslilis) contains from 4.5 to 7%. Smaller amounts of the free acid are found in natural products including the scent glands of the beaver, the bark of the black cherry tree, cranberries, pmnes, ripe cloves, and oil of anise seed. Pern and Tolu balsams contain benzyl benzoate the latter contains free benzoic acid as well. The urine of herbivorous animals contains a small proportion of the glycine derivative of benzoic acid, hippuric acid [495-69-2] (CgH CONHCH2COOH). So-called natural benzoic acid is not known to be available as an item of commerce. 

The USP/FCC grade of benzoic acid is usually produced by extraction and crystalliza tion, although distillation has also been used. In the extraction—crystallization process, toluene, water, and methanol have all been used and each is capable of producing a high quaUty benzoic acid product. 

Vapor-phase oxidation of toluene to produce benzoic acid and benzaldehyde has been tried utilizing several different catalysts, but yields are low and the process cannot compete with the Hquid-phase process (see Benzaldehyde). Other processes for the production of benzoic acid are presendy of htde commercial importance. 

The principal North American producers of benzoic acid and their estimated production capacities are as follows (17) ... 

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. 

Molten benzoic acid (industrial or technical) is transported in type 316 stainless steel tank cars, usually 76 m (20,000 gallons) of product, or in - 5, 000 gallon (19 m ) 316 stainless steel tank tmcks. 

The principal safety concern in handling molten benzoic acid is its elevated temperature. Thermal bums may result from improper handling of the molten product (25,26). 

Although the main uses for benzoic acid are as a chemical raw material, it also has numerous direct uses. Benzoic acid is used in substantial quantities to improve the properties of various alkyd resin coating formulations, where it tends to improve gloss, adhesion, hardness, and chemical resistance. Benzoic acid terminates chain propagation in alkyd resins (qv) and promotes crystallinity in the final product. 

The largest use for benzoic acid is as a chemical raw material in the production of phenol, caprolactam, glycol dibenzoate esters, and sodium and/or potassium benzoate. 

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