Catalysts terephthalate

The reaction occurs in a liquid-phase process at approximately 400°C using ZnO or CdO catalysts. Terephthalic acid is obtained from an acid treatment the potassium salt is recycled. ° ... 

The Lummus process converts p-xylene to terephthalic add in a first step by ammo-xidation in the presence of a V20s/AI203-bascd catalyst. Terephthalic nitrile is converted to terephthalic add in three steps. It is first hydrolysed by steam to form ammonium hydrogen terephthalate, and this salt is then pyrolysed to the diadd. The third step consists of a second hydrolysis to convert the amide which may have been formed in the trace state to the add. This technique, which cou d be considered as a promising one, in so far as it allowed the production of fiber-grade terephthalic add without spedal purification, has not yet enjoyed any industrial development... 

Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is a semi-crystalline saturated polyester, which has been produced since 1942. PBT is made by the polycondensation of terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate with 1,4-butanediol in the presence of a catalyst. Terephthalic acid, dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol are derived from petrochemicals such as xylene and acetylene. The polymer is noted for high stiffness and strength, high resistance to heat, low water absorption and high dimensional stability. It has moderate chemical resistance and low resistance to strong acids and bases. 

Ethylene glycol esterification of BHET is driven to completion by heating and removal of the water formed. PET is also formed using the same chemistry starting with dimethyl terephthalate [120-61-6] and ethylene glycol to form BHET also using an antimony oxide catalyst. 

Lead sesquioxide is used as an oxidation catalyst for carbon monoxide ia exhaust gases (44,45) (see Exhaust control), as a catalyst for the preparation of lactams (46) (see Antibiotics, P-lactams), ia the manufacture of high purity diamonds (47) (see Carbon, diamond-natural), ia fireproofing compositions for poly(ethylene terephthalate) plastics (48), ia radiation detectors for x-rays and nuclear particles (49), and ia vulcanization accelerators for neoprene mbber (50). 

Technical-Grade Terephthalic Acid. All technical-grade terephthahc acid is produced by catalytic, hquid-phase air oxidation of xylene. Several processes have been developed, but they all use acetic acid as a solvent and a multivalent heavy metal or metals as catalysts. Cobalt is always used. In the most popular process, cobalt and manganese are the multivalent heavy-metal catalysts and bromine is the renewable source for free radicals (51,52). 

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). 

The oxidation reactor effluent and methanol ate sent to the esterification reactor, which operates at up to 250°C and a pressure sufficient to maintain the Hquid phase. This latter is about 2500 kPa (25 atm). The oxidation products are converted to methyl -toluate and dimethyl terephthalate without a catalyst. Excess methanol is suppHed, and steam and vaporized methanol ate removed and enter a methanol recovery column. The esterification products flow to a cmde ester column, which separates the toluate from the terephthalate. The overhead stream of methyl -toluate is returned to the oxidation reactor, and the bottoms stream of dimethyl terephthalate goes to a primary distillation. The distillate is dissolved in methanol, crystallized, and sohd dimethyl terephthalate is recovered. The dimethyl terephthalate can then be either recrystallized or distilled to yield the highly pure material needed for the polyesterification reaction. 

Esterification ofTerephthalicAcid. Esterification of terephthaUc acid is also used to produce dimethyl terephthalate commercially, although the amount made by this process has declined. Imperial Chemical Industries, Eastman Kodak, Amoco, Toray, Mitsubishi, and Mitsui Petrochemical have all developed processes. Esterification (qv) generally uses a large excess of methanol in a Hquid process at 250—300°C. The reaction proceeds rapidly without a catalyst, but metal catalysts such as zinc, molybdenum, antimony, and tin can be used. Conversion to dimethyl terephthalate is limited by equiHbrium, but yields of 96% have been reported (75,76). 

Titanium alkoxides are used for the hardening and cross-linking of epoxy, siUcon, urea, melamine, and terephthalate resins in the manufacture of noncorrodable, high temperature lacquers in the sol-gel process as water repellents and adhesive agents (especially with foils) to improve glass surfaces as catalyst in olefin polymeri2ation, and for condensation and esterification. 

Propylene oxide has found use in the preparation of polyether polyols from recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (264), haUde removal from amine salts via halohydrin formation (265), preparation of flame retardants (266), alkoxylation of amines (267,268), modification of catalysts (269), and preparation of cellulose ethers (270,271). 

Low molecular weight PET and PBT resins are made by melt processes. For higher molecular weight resins, both melt processes or soHd-state polymerization are used. Although terephthaHc acid can be directly esterified, the most common process involves transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol or 1,4-butanediol in the presence of trace amounts of metal ion catalysts (67,68). 

Bis-(P-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate and related compounds can be produced ia this manner using finely divided carbon catalyst (92). The carbon functions not only as a catalyst but also helps to remove color from the reaction mixture upon removal of the carbon by hot filtration. 

In the case of ester exchange for the manufacture of poly(ethylene terephthalate), a low molecular weight diester, known as the monomer , is first prepared by reacting 1 mol of dimethyl terephthalate with about 2.1-2.2 mol ethylene glycol at about 150°C in the presence of catalysts such as antimony trioxide and cobaltous acetate ... 

The expiry of the original poly(ethylene terephthalate) patents provided the catalysts for developments not only with poly(ethylene terephthalate) but also... 

The carhonylation reaction of toluene with carhon monoxide in the presence of HF/BF3 catalyst produces p-tolualdehyde. A high yield results (96% based on toluene and 98% based on CO). p-Tolualdehyde could be further oxidized to terephthalic acid, an important monomer for polyesters ... 

The catalyzed oxidation of p-xylene produces terephthalic acid (TPA). Cobalt acetate promoted with either NaBr or HBr is used as a catalyst in an acetic acid medium. Reaction conditions are approximately 200°C and 15 atmospheres. The yield is about 95% ... 

Using excess ethylene glycol is the usual practice because it drives the equilihrium to near completion and terminates the acid end groups. This results in a polymer with terminal -OH. When the free acid is used (esterification), the reaction is self catalyzed. However, an acid catalyst is used to compensate for the decrease in terephthalic acid as the esterification nears completion. In addition to the catalyst and terminator, other additives are used such as color improvers and dulling agents. For example, PET is delustred hy the addition of titanium dioxide. 

Important applications for titanium have been developed in processes involving acetic acid, malic acid, amines, urea, terephthalic acid, vinyl acetate, and ethylene dichloride. Some of these represent large scale use of the material in the form of pipework, heat exchangers, pumps, valves, and vessels of solid, loose lined, or explosion clad construction. In many of these the requirement for titanium is because of corrosion problems arising from the organic chemicals in the process, the use of seawater or polluted cooling waters, or from complex aggressive catalysts in the reaction. 

A similar oxidation is employed industrially for the preparation of the terephthalic acid used in the production of polyester fibers. Approximately 5 million tons per year of p-xylene are oxidized, using air as the oxidant and Co(lll) salts as catalyst. 

A PEIT of 50/50 (molar ratio) composition is synthesized by a two-step reaction sequence as follows. In the first step, 97.10 g (0.5 mol) dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), 97.10 g (0.5 mol) dimethyl isophthalate (DMI), 136.55 g (2.2 mol) 1,2-ethanediol, and zinc acetate dihydrate ester interchange catalyst (2.7 x 10 4% mass of the total amount of DMI and DMT mixture) are weighed into a threenecked flask fitted with a mechanical stirrer, a nitrogen inlet, and a condenser. The medium is stirred for 2.0-2.5 h at 180-210°C under nitrogen. Ninety-two percent of the theoretical amount of methanol is removed by distillation. In the second step, antimony acetate polycondensation catalyst and trimethyl phosphate thermal stabilizer (9.9 x 10-4 and 1.5 x 10 3% mass of the total amount of DMI... 

PET is the polyester of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Polyesters are prepared by either direct esterification or transesterification reactions. In the direct esterification process, terephthalic acid is reacted with ethylene glycol to produce PET and water as a by-product. Transesterification involves the reaction of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) with ethylene glycol in the presence of a catalyst (usually a metal carboxylate) to form bis(hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) and methyl alcohol as a by-product. In the second step of transesterification, BHET... 

Polk et al. reported27 that PET fibers could be hydrolyzed with 5% aqueous sodium hydroxide at 80°C in the presence of trioctylmethylammonium bromide in 60 min to obtain terephthalic acid in 93% yield. The results of catalytic depolymerization of PET without agitation are listed in Table 10.1. The results of catalytic depolymerization of PET with agitation are listed in Table 10.2. As expected, agitation shortened the time required for 100% conversion. Results (Table 10.1) for the quaternary salts with a halide counterion were promising. Phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMAC) was chosen to ascertain whether steric effects would hinder catalytic activity. Bulky alkyl groups of the quaternary ammonium compounds were expected to hinder close approach of the catalyst to the somewhat hidden carbonyl groups of the fiber structure. The results indicate that steric hindrance is not a problem for PET hydrolysis under this set of conditions since the depolymerization results were substantially lower for PTMAC than for die more sterically hindered quaternary salts. 

In the late 1950 s two groups - one at ICI (ref. 1) and the other at the Mid-Century Corporation (ref. 2) - independently discovered that p-xylene is oxidized to terephthalic acid in almost quantitative yield when soluble bromides are used together with cobalt and manganese catalysts in acetic acid solvent at temperatures > 130 °C (ref. 3). This discovery formed the basis for what became known as the Mid-Century process and later, when the Mid-Century Corporation was acquired by Amoco, as the Amoco MC process for the commercial production of terephthalic acid. A large part of the ca. 6 million tons of the latter that are manufactured annually, on a worldwide basis, are produced via this method. This makes it the most important catalytic oxidation process (ref. 4). 

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