Carbon monoxide commercial

CO. Alkynes will react with carbon monoxide in the presence of a metal carbonyl (e.g. Ni(CO)4) and water to give prop>enoic acids (R-CH = CH-C02H), with alcohols (R OH) to give propenoic esters, RCH CHC02R and with amines (R NH2) to give propenoic amides RCHrCHCONHR. Using alternative catalysts, e.g. Fe(CO)5, alkynes and carbon monoxide will produce cyclopentadienones or hydroquinols. A commercially important variation of this reaction is hydroformyiation (the 0x0 reaction ). 

The commercial production of carbon monoxide in the form of water gas is now largely obsolete. The production by the reaction between steam and hydrocarbons is considered later (p. 180). 

Furan is produced from furfural commercially by decarbonylation loss of carbon monoxide from furfural gives furan direcdy. Tetrahydrofuran (3) is the saturated analogue containing no double bonds. 

Acetylene-Based Routes. Walter Reppe, the father of modem acetylene chemistry, discovered the reaction of nickel carbonyl with acetylene and water or alcohols to give acryUc acid or esters (75,76). This discovery led to several processes which have been in commercial use. The original Reppe reaction requires a stoichiometric ratio of nickel carbonyl to acetylene. The Rohm and Haas modified or semicatalytic process provides 60—80% of the carbon monoxide from a separate carbon monoxide feed and the remainder from nickel carbonyl (77—78). The reactions for the synthesis of ethyl acrylate are... 

It has been known since the early 1950s that butadiene reacts with CO to form aldehydes and ketones that could be treated further to give adipic acid (131). Processes for producing adipic acid from butadiene and carbon monoxide [630-08-0] have been explored since around 1970 by a number of companies, especially ARCO, Asahi, BASF, British Petroleum, Du Pont, Monsanto, and Shell. BASF has developed a process sufficiendy advanced to consider commercialization (132). There are two main variations, one a carboalkoxylation and the other a hydrocarboxylation. These differ in whether an alcohol, such as methanol [67-56-1is used to produce intermediate pentenoates (133), or water is used for the production of intermediate pentenoic acids (134). The former is a two-step process which uses high pressure, >31 MPa (306 atm), and moderate temperatures (100—150°C) (132—135). Butadiene,... 

Two-Step Process. The significant advantage of the two-step process is that it only requkes commercial-grade methyl formate and ammonia. Thus the cmde product leaving the reactor comprises, in addition to excess starting materials, only low boiling substances, which are easily separated off by distillation. The formamide obtained is of sufficient purity to meet all quaUty requkements without recourse to the costiy overhead distillation that is necessary after the dkect synthesis from carbon monoxide and ammonia. 

Manufacture, Processing, and Economic Aspects. Hydroxyacetic acid is produced commercially in the United States as an iatermediate by the reaction of formaldehyde with carbon monoxide and water. 

Attempts have been made to develop methods for the production of aromatic isocyanates without the use of phosgene. None of these processes is currently in commercial use. Processes based on the reaction of carbon monoxide with aromatic nitro compounds have been examined extensively (23,27,76). The reductive carbonylation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene [121 -14-2] to toluene 2,4-diaLkylcarbamates is reported to occur in high yield at reaction temperatures of 140—180°C under 6900 kPa (1000 psi) of carbon monoxide. The resultant carbamate product distribution is noted to be a strong function of the alcohol used. Mitsui-Toatsu and Arco have disclosed a two-step reductive carbonylation process based on a cost effective selenium catalyst (22,23). 

Table 4 summarizes commercial and precommercial gas separation appHcations (86,87). The first large-scale commercial appHcation of gas separation was the separation of hydrogen from nitrogen ia ammonia purge gas streams. This process, launched ia 1980 by Monsanto, was followed by a number of similar appHcations, such as hydrogen—methane separation ia refinery off-gases and hydrogen—carbon monoxide adjustment ia oxo-chemical synthetic plants. 

Although not commercialized, both Elf Atochem and Rn hm GmbH have pubUshed on development of hydrogen fluoride-catalyzed processes. Norsolor, since acquired by Elf Aquitaine, had been granted an exclusive European Hcense for the propylene-hydrogen fluoride technology of Ashland Oil (99). Rn hm has patented a process for the production of isobutyric acid in 98% yield via the isomerization of isopropyl formate in the presence of carbon monoxide and hydrofluoric acid (100). 

Ma.nufa.cture. Nickel carbonyl can be prepared by the direct combination of carbon monoxide and metallic nickel (77). The presence of sulfur, the surface area, and the surface activity of the nickel affect the formation of nickel carbonyl (78). The thermodynamics of formation and reaction are documented (79). Two commercial processes are used for large-scale production (80). An atmospheric method, whereby carbon monoxide is passed over nickel sulfide and freshly reduced nickel metal, is used in the United Kingdom to produce pure nickel carbonyl (81). The second method, used in Canada, involves high pressure CO in the formation of iron and nickel carbonyls the two are separated by distillation (81). Very high pressure CO is required for the formation of cobalt carbonyl and a method has been described where the mixed carbonyls are scmbbed with ammonia or an amine and the cobalt is extracted as the ammine carbonyl (82). A discontinued commercial process in the United States involved the reaction of carbon monoxide with nickel sulfate solution. 

The rate of hydroformylation increases with increasing hydrogen and decreases with increasing carbon monoxide partial pressures (9), suggesting that rates of hydroformylation would be satisfactory at high H2 and low CO partial pressures. In industrial practice, however, high pressures of both H2 and CO ate required in order to stabilize the HCo(CO)4 catalyst at the temperatures necessary for practical rates (10). Commercial processes, for example, operate at >24 MPa (3480 psi) and >140 C. 

Because di-/ fZ-alkyl peroxides are less susceptible to radical-induced decompositions, they are safer and more efficient radical generators than primary or secondary dialkyl peroxides. They are the preferred dialkyl peroxides for generating free radicals for commercial appHcations. Without reactive substrates present, di-/ fZ-alkyl peroxides decompose to generate alcohols, ketones, hydrocarbons, and minor amounts of ethers, epoxides, and carbon monoxide. Photolysis of di-/ fZ-butyl peroxide generates / fZ-butoxy radicals at low temperatures (75), whereas thermolysis at high temperatures generates methyl radicals by P-scission (44). 

Pyrrohdinone (2-pyrrohdone, butyrolactam or 2-Pyrol) (27) was first reported in 1889 as a product of the dehydration of 4-aminobutanoic acid (49). The synthesis used for commercial manufacture, ie, condensation of butyrolactone with ammonia at high temperatures, was first described in 1936 (50). Other synthetic routes include carbon monoxide insertion into allylamine (51,52), hydrolytic hydrogenation of succinonitnle (53,54), and hydrogenation of ammoniacal solutions of maleic or succinic acids (55—57). Properties of 2-pyrrohdinone are Hsted in Table 2. 2-Pyrrohdinone is completely miscible with water, lower alcohols, lower ketones, ether, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and benzene. It is soluble to ca 1 wt % in aUphatic hydrocarbons. 

It has been discovered that styrene forms a linear alternating copolymer with carbon monoxide using palladium II—phenanthroline complexes. The polymers are syndiotactic and have a crystalline melting point - 280° C (59). Shell Oil Company is commercializing carbon monoxide a-olefin plastics based on this technology (60). 

Metafile arsenic can be obtained by the direct smelting of the minerals arsenopyrite or loeUingite. The arsenic vapor is sublimed when these minerals are heated to about 650—700°C in the absence of air. The metal can also be prepared commercially by the reduction of arsenic trioxide with charcoal. The oxide and charcoal are mixed and placed into a horizontal steel retort jacketed with fire-brick which is then gas-fired. The reduced arsenic vapor is collected in a water-cooled condenser (5). In a process used by Bofiden Aktiebolag (6), the steel retort, heated to 700—800°C in an electric furnace, is equipped with a demountable air-cooled condenser. The off-gases are cleaned in a sembber system. The yield of metallic arsenic from the reduction of arsenic trioxide with carbon and carbon monoxide has been studied (7) and a process has been patented describing the gaseous reduction of arsenic trioxide to metal (8). 

A fermentation route to 1-butanol based on carbon monoxide employing the anaerobic bacterium, Butyribacterium methjlotrophicum has been reported (14,15). In contrast to other commercial catalytic processes for converting synthesis gas to alcohols, the new process is insensitive to sulfur contaminants. Current productivities to butanol are 1 g/L, about 10% of that required for commercial viabiUty. Researchers hope to learn enough about the bacteria s control mechanisms to be able to use recombinant DNA to make the cells produce more butanol. 

With Alcohols, Ethers, and Esters. Carbon monoxide reacts with alcohols, ethers, and esters to give carboxyHc acids. The reaction yielding carboxyHc acids is general for alkyl (53) and aryl alcohols (54). It is cataly2ed by rhodium or cobalt in the presence of iodide and provides the basis for a commercial process to acetic acid. 

Of the four commercial processes for the purification of carbon monoxide two processes are based on the absorption of carbon monoxide by salt solutions, the third uses either low temperature condensation or fractionation, and the fourth method utilizes the adsorption of carbon monoxide on a soHd adsorbent material. AH four processes use similar techniques to remove minor impurities. Particulates are removed in cyclones or by scmbbing. Scmbbing also removes any tars or heavy hydrocarbon fractions. Acid gases are removed by absorption in monoethanolamine, hot potassium carbonate, or by other patented removal processes. The purified gas stream is then sent to a carbon monoxide recovery section for final purification and by-product recovery. 

Gosorb Process. Like the copper—Hquor scmbbing method, the Cosorb process also reHes on the formation of a cuprous complex of carbon monoxide but uses a nonaqueous organic solvent. The preferred system uses a cuprous tetrachloroalurninate toluene complex in a toluene solvent (90). Many other organometaUic complex variants have been proposed (91—93) but have not been commercialized. 

Table 8. Commercial Price and Purity Data for Cylinder Carbon Monoxide ...

Easily decomposed, volatile metal carbonyls have been used in metal deposition reactions where heating forms the metal and carbon monoxide. Other products such as metal carbides and carbon may also form, depending on the conditions. The commercially important Mond process depends on the thermal decomposition of Ni(CO)4 to form high purity nickel. In a typical vapor deposition process, a purified inert carrier gas is passed over a metal carbonyl containing the metal to be deposited. The carbonyl is volatilized, with or without heat, and carried over a heated substrate. The carbonyl is decomposed and the metal deposited on the substrate. A number of papers have appeared concerning vapor deposition techniques and uses (170—179). 

Commercial production of these acids essentially follows the mechanistic steps given. This is most clearly seen in the Exxon process of Figure 1 (32). In the reactor, catalyst, olefin, and CO react to give the complex. After degassing, hydrolysis of this complex takes place. The acid and catalyst are then separated, and the trialkylacetic acid is purified in the distillation section. The process postulated to be used by Shell (Fig. 2) is similar, with additional steps prior to distillation being used. In 1980, the conditions used were described as ca 40—70°C and 7—10 MPa (70—100 bar) carbon monoxide pressure with H PO —BF —H2O in the ratio 1 1 1 (Shell) or with BF (Enjay) as catalyst (33). 

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