Butanediole

Note. Both tetramethylene glycol (1 4-butanediol) and hexamethylene glycol (1 6 hexaiiediol) may be prepared more conveniently by copper-chromium oxide reduction (Section VI,6) or, for small quantities, by reduction with lithium aluminium hydride (see Section VI,10). 

Dichlorobutane. Place 22-5g. of redistilled 1 4-butanediol and 3 ml. of dry pyridine in a 500 ml. three necked flask fitted with a reflux condenser, mechanical stirrer and thermometer. Immerse the flask in an ice bath. Add 116 g. (71 ml.) of redistilled thionyl chloride dropwise fix>m a dropping funnel (inserted into the top of the condenser) to the vigorously stirred mixture at such a rate that the temperature remains at 5-10°. When the addition is complete, remove the ice bath, keep the mixture overnight, and then reflux for 3 hours. Cool, add ice water cautiously and extract with ether. Wash the ethereal extract successively with 10 per cent sodium bicarbonate solution and water, dry with anhydrous magnesium sulphate and distil. Collect the 1 4-dichloro-butane at 55-5-56-5°/14 mm. the yield is 35 g. The b.p. under atmospheric pressure is 154 155°. 

Dibromobutane from 1 4 butanediol). In a 500 ml. threenecked flask fltted with a stirrer, reflux condenser and dropping funnel, place 154 g. (105 ml.) of 48 per cent, hydrobromic acid. Cool the flask in an ice bath. Add slowly, with stirring, 130 g. (71 ml.) of concentrated sulphuric acid. To the resulting ice-cold solution add 30 g. of redistilled 1 4-butanediol dropwise. Leave the reaction mixture to stand for 24 hours heat for 3 hours on a steam bath. The reaction mixture separates into two layers. Separate the lower layer, wash it successively with water, 10 per cent, sodium carbonate solution and water, and then dry with anhydrous magnesium sulphate. Distil and collect the 1 4-dibromo-butane at 83-84°/12 mm. The yield is 55 g. 

Dibromobutane (from 1 4-butanediol). Use 45 g. of redistilled 1 4-butanediol, 6-84 g. of purified red phosphorus and 80 g. (26 ml.) of bromine. Heat the glycol - phosphorus mixture to 100-150° and add the bromine slowly use the apparatus of Fig. Ill, 37, 1. Continue heating at 100-150° for 1 hour after all the bromine has been introduced. Allow to cool, dilute with water, add 100 ml. of ether, and remove the excess of red phosphorus by filtration. Separate the ethereal solution of the dibromide, wash it successively with 10 per cent, sodium thiosulphate solution and water, then dry over anhydrous potassium carbonate. Remove the ether on a water bath and distil the residue under diminished pressure. Collect the 1 4-dibromobutane at 83-84°/12 mm. the yield 3 73 g. 

In a 500 ml. three-necked flask, equipped with a thermometer, a sealed Hershberg stirrer and a reflux condenser, place 32-5 g. of phosphoric oxide and add 115-5 g. (67-5 ml.) of 85 per cent, orthophosphoric acid (1). When the stirred mixture has cooled to room temperature, introduce 166 g. of potassium iodide and 22-5 g. of redistilled 1 4-butanediol (b.p. 228-230° or 133-135°/18 mm.). Heat the mixture with stirring at 100-120° for 4 hours. Cool the stirred mixture to room temperature and add 75 ml. of water and 125 ml. of ether. Separate the ethereal layer, decolourise it by shaking with 25 ml. of 10 per cent, sodium thiosulphate solution, wash with 100 ml. of cold, saturated sodium chloride solution, and dry with anhydrous magnesium sulphate. Remove the ether by flash distillation (Section 11,13 compare Fig. II, 13, 4) on a steam bath and distil the residue from a Claisen flask with fractionating side arm under diminished pressure. Collect the 1 4-diiodobutane at 110°/6 mm. the yield is 65 g. 

Poly(butylene Terephthalate). Poly(butylene terephthalate) is prepared in a condensation reaction between dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol and its repeating unit has the general structure... 

An early attempt to hydroformylate butenediol using a cobalt carbonyl catalyst gave tetrahydro-2-furanmethanol (95), presumably by aHybc rearrangement to 3-butene-l,2-diol before hydroformylation. Later, hydroformylation of butenediol diacetate with a rhodium complex as catalyst gave the acetate of 3-formyl-3-buten-l-ol (96). Hydrogenation in such a system gave 2-methyl-1,4-butanediol (97). 

Butanediol. 1,4-Butanediol [110-63-4] tetramethylene glycol, 1,4-butylene glycol, was first prepared in 1890 by acid hydrolysis of N,]S3-dinitro-l,4-butanediamine (117). Other early preparations were by reduction of succinaldehyde (118) or succinic esters (119) and by saponification of the diacetate prepared from 1,4-dihalobutanes (120). Catalytic hydrogenation of butynediol, now the principal commercial route, was first described in 1910 (121). Other processes used for commercial manufacture are described in the section on Manufacture. Physical properties of butanediol are Hsted in Table 2. 

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). 

Butanediol. 1,4-Butanediol [110-63-4] made from formaldehyde and acetylene, is a significant market for formaldehyde representing 11% of its demand (115). It is used to produce tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is used for polyurethane elastomers y-butyrolactone, which is used to make various pyrroHdinone derivatives poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), which is an engineering plastic and polyurethanes. Formaldehyde growth in the acetylenic chemicals market is threatened by alternative processes to produce 1,4-butanediol not requiring formaldehyde as a raw material (140) (see Acetylene-derived chemicals). 

The principal chemical markets for acetylene at present are its uses in the preparation of vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, and 1,4-butanediol. Polymers from these monomers reach the consumer in the form of surface coatings (paints, films, sheets, or textiles), containers, pipe, electrical wire insulation, adhesives, and many other products which total biUions of kg. The acetylene routes to these monomers were once dominant but have been largely displaced by newer processes based on olefinic starting materials. 

Much more important is the hydrogenation product of butynediol, 1,4-butanediol [110-63-4]. The intermediate 2-butene-l,4-diol is also commercially available but has found few uses. 1,4-Butanediol, however, is used widely in polyurethanes and is of increasing interest for the preparation of thermoplastic polyesters, especially the terephthalate. Butanediol is also used as the starting material for a further series of chemicals including tetrahydrofuran, y-butyrolactone, 2-pyrrohdinone, A/-methylpyrrohdinone, and A/-vinylpyrrohdinone (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). The 1,4-butanediol market essentially represents the only growing demand for acetylene as a feedstock. This demand is reported (34) as growing from 54,000 metric tons of acetylene in 1989 to a projected level of 88,000 metric tons in 1994. 

United States. The demand for acetylene generally peaked between 1965 and 1970, then declined dramatically until the early 1980s, and has been slowly increasing at between 2 and 4% per year since. The dramatic decline was related to increased availabiHty of low cost ethylene, an alternative feedstock for many chemicals, and the recent increase is due to the modest growth of acetylenic chemicals, particularly 1,4-butanediol. 

As Figure 14 also shows, the only acetylene derivatives to sustain growth during this period were the so-called acetylenic chemicals. These include 1,4-butanediol, vinyl ethers, A/-vinyl-2-pyrroHdinone, and butanediol. Of these, 1,4-butanediol, a principal feed for tetrahydrofuran, accounts for over 90% of the acetylenic chemicals demand (38). 

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates total production of about 163,000 t in 1990. Other estimates based on demand data indicate that it was as high as 175,000 t. With demand and supply in balance, it is estimated that in 1997 the demand will be 185,000 t. The distribution in product demand is projected to be the following 1,4-butanediol and other acetylenic chemicals (45%), vinyl chloride monomer (45%), acetylene black (5%), and industrial use (5%). 

Borden-BASE Geismar, La. BASF part. ox. natural gas 90 VCM and 1,4-butanediol... 

Growth in the use of acetylene for the production of 1,4-butanediol is projected to continue at the rate of about 5% per year. However, competition from a new technology based on maleic anhydride may impact the use of acetylene in this market. 

Apart from lactic and hydroxyacetic acids, other a- and P-hydroxy acids have been small-volume specialty products produced in a variety of methods for specialized uses. y-Butyrolactone [96 8-0] which is the monomeric inner ester of y-hydroxybutyric acid [591-81-17, is a large-volume chemical derived from 1,4-butanediol (see Acetylene-derived chemicals). 

Reduction. Heterogeneous catalytic reduction processes provide effective routes for the production of maleic anhydride derivatives such as succinic anhydride [108-30-5] (26), succinates, y-butyrolactone [96-48-0] (27), tetrahydrofuran [109-99-9] (29), and 1,4-butanediol [110-63-4] (28). The technology for production of 1,4-butanediol from maleic anhydride has been reviewed (92,93). 

Survey of the patent Hterature reveals companies with processes for 1,4-butanediol from maleic anhydride include BASF (94), British Petroleum (95,96), Davy McKee (93,97), Hoechst (98), Huels (99), and Tonen (100,101). Processes for the production of y-butyrolactone have been described for operation in both the gas (102—104) and Hquid (105—108) phases. In the gas phase, direct hydrogenation of maleic anhydride in hydrogen at 245°C and 1.03 MPa gives an 88% yield of y-butyrolactone (104). Du Pont has developed a process for the production of tetrahydrofuran back-integrated to a butane feedstock (109). Slurry reactor catalysts containing palladium and rhenium are used to hydrogenate aqueous maleic acid to tetrahydrofuran (110,111). 

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