Copper Catalyst Production

Until 1960, copper oxide-zinc oxide catalysts were usually precipitated in batches. As with the zinc oxide-chromium oxide catalysts, an alkahne solution, such as sodium carbonate, was added to the relatively acidic solution of the metal 

Inter-bed quench lozenges. b. Tubular. c. Steam raising (advanced radial concept). 50-150 

Topsoe Three radial flow reactors with water coolingat outlets.. 50-90 

Mitsubishi Multibed with inter-bed steam generation. 50-200 

A novel way to precipitate small particles was introduced to overcome the problem. By continuous mixing of reactants in a jet, the caibonates could be precipitated at pH 7 so that the precipitate eontained uniformly small, well-mixed crystals and provided catalysts with a long, stable life. Continuous operation at 50-bar pressure was possible for three years in a 300 tonnes per day plant. By-product formation was significantly decreased in comparison with the zinc oxide-chromia catalysts as outlined in Table 10.14. 

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Catalytic hydroboration of terminal allg nes with B2(pin)2 is achieved by employing a copper catalyst. Products are obtained regioselectively by employing a suitable NHC ligand (Scheme 15.34). A bull bidentate phosphine ligand is effective for regioselective hydroboration of aryl-substituted... 

However, hydrogen chloride gas, obtained as a by-product in chlorination reactions, is commercially converted to chlorine by passing the hydrogen chloride mixed with air over a copper catalyst at a temperature of 600-670K when the following reaction occurs ... 

Arylation or alkenylation of soft carbon nucleophiles such as malonate is carried out by using a copper catalyst, but it is not a smooth reaction. The reaction of malononitrile, cyanoacetate, and phenylsulfonylacetonitrile with aryl iodide is possible by using a Pd catalyst to give the coupling products. 

In a related process, 1,4-dichlorobutene was produced by direct vapor-phase chlorination of butadiene at 160—250°C. The 1,4-dichlorobutenes reacted with aqueous sodium cyanide in the presence of copper catalysts to produce the isomeric 1,4-dicyanobutenes yields were as high as 95% (58). The by-product NaCl could be recovered for reconversion to Na and CI2 via electrolysis. Adiponitrile was produced by the hydrogenation of the dicyanobutenes over a palladium catalyst in either the vapor phase or the Hquid phase (59,60). The yield in either case was 95% or better. This process is no longer practiced by DuPont in favor of the more economically attractive process described below. 

Even ia 1960 a catalytic route was considered the answer to the pollution problem and the by-product sulfate, but nearly ten years elapsed before a process was developed that could be used commercially. Some of the eadier attempts iacluded hydrolysis of acrylonitrile on a sulfonic acid ion-exchange resia (69). Manganese dioxide showed some catalytic activity (70), and copper ions present ia two different valence states were described as catalyticaHy active (71), but copper metal by itself was not active. A variety of catalysts, such as Umshibara or I Jllmann copper and nickel, were used for the hydrolysis of aromatic nitriles, but aUphatic nitriles did not react usiag these catalysts (72). Beginning ia 1971 a series of patents were issued to The Dow Chemical Company (73) describiag the use of copper metal catalysis. Full-scale production was achieved the same year. A solution of acrylonitrile ia water was passed over a fixed bed of copper catalyst at 85°C, which produced a solution of acrylamide ia water with very high conversions and selectivities to acrylamide. 

Biacetyl is produced by the dehydrogenation of 2,3-butanediol with a copper catalyst (290,291). Prior to the availabiUty of 2,3-butanediol, biacetyl was prepared by the nitrosation of methyl ethyl ketone and the hydrolysis of the resultant oxime. Other commercial routes include passing vinylacetylene into a solution of mercuric sulfate in sulfuric acid and decomposing the insoluble product with dilute hydrochloric acid (292), by the reaction of acetal with formaldehyde (293), by the acid-cataly2ed condensation of 1-hydroxyacetone with formaldehyde (294), and by fermentation of lactic acid bacterium (295—297). Acetoin [513-86-0] (3-hydroxy-2-butanone) is also coproduced in lactic acid fermentation. 

Significant quantities of the diphenoquinone are also produced if the ortho substituents are methoxy groups (36). Phenols with less than two ortho substituents produce branched and colored products from the reactions that occur at the open ortho sites. It is possible to minimize such side reactions in the case of o-cresol oxidation by using a bulky ligand on the copper catalyst to block the open ortho position (38). 

Dkect synthesis is the preparative method that ultimately accounts for most of the commercial siUcon hydride production. This is the synthesis of halosilanes by the dkect reaction of a halogen or haUde with siUcon metal, siUcon dioxide, siUcon carbide, or metal sihcide without an intervening chemical step or reagent. Trichlorosilane is produced by the reaction of hydrogen chloride and siUcon, ferrosiUcon, or calcium sihcide with or without a copper catalyst (82,83). Standard purity is produced in a static bed at 400—900°C. 

In this case the ylide was not isolated but allowed to react with ben2ophenone to give, after hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid, 1,1-diphenylethylene, diphenylacetaldehyde, and triphenylarsine (160). An excellent method for preparing arsonium ylides involves the reaction between a stable dia2o compound and triphenylarsine in the presence of a copper catalyst such as bis(acetylacetonato)copper(II) (161). Rather than a dia2o compound, an iodonium yhde can be used again a copper catalyst is necessary for an optimum yield of product. An example of the use of a dia2o compound is shown in the formulation of triphenyl arsonium 2,3,4-triphenylcyclopentadienyLide [29629-32-17, C H As ... 

Dutch State Mines (Stamicarbon). Vapor-phase, catalytic hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone over palladium on alumina, Hcensed by Stamicarbon, the engineering subsidiary of DSM, gives a 95% yield at high conversion plus an additional 3% by dehydrogenation of coproduct cyclohexanol over a copper catalyst. Cyclohexane oxidation, an alternative route to cyclohexanone, is used in the United States and in Asia by DSM. A cyclohexane vapor-cloud explosion occurred in 1975 at a co-owned DSM plant in Flixborough, UK (12) the plant was rebuilt but later closed. In addition to the conventional Raschig process for hydroxylamine, DSM has developed a hydroxylamine phosphate—oxime (HPO) process for cyclohexanone oxime no by-product ammonium sulfate is produced. Catalytic ammonia oxidation is followed by absorption of NO in a buffered aqueous phosphoric acid... 

Work on the process for the production of these acids has continued in recent years. One patent discloses the use of 2eohte catalysts (34) for the synthesis of neopentanoic acid from isobutylene. The use of a copper catalyst in a strong acid, such as sulfuric acid, operating at lower pressures, has also been claimed (35). 

Dehydrochlorination of 1,1,2-trichloroethane at 500°C in the presence of a copper catalyst gives a different product, ie, cis- and /n7 j -l,2-dichloroethylene. Addition of small amounts of a chlorinating agent, such as chlorine, promotes radical dehydrochlorination in the gas phase through a disproportionation mechanism that results in loss of hydrogen chloride and formation of a double bond. The dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane in the presence of chlorine, as shown in equations 19 and 20, is a typical example. 

The Dow Chemical Company in the mid-1920s developed two processes which consumed large quantities of chlorobenzene. In one process, chlorobenzene was hydrolyzed with ammonium hydroxide in the presence of a copper catalyst to produce aniline [62-53-3J. This process was used for more than 30 years. The other process hydrolyzed chlorobenzene with sodium hydroxide under high temperature and pressure conditions (4,5) to product phenol [108-95-2]. The LG. Earbenwerke in Germany independentiy developed an equivalent process and plants were built in several European countries after World War II. The ICI plant in England operated until its dosing in 1965. 

The main by-products of the Ullmaim condensation are l-aniinoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid and l-amino-4-hydroxyanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid. The choice of copper catalyst affects the selectivity of these by-products. Generally, metal copper powder or copper(I) salt catalyst has a greater reactivity than copper(Il) salts. However, they are likely to yield the reduced product (l-aniinoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid). The reaction mechanism has not been estabUshed. It is very difficult to clarify which oxidation state of copper functions as catalyst, since this reaction involves fast redox equiUbria where anthraquinone derivatives and copper compounds are concerned. Some evidence indicates that the catalyst is probably a copper(I) compound (28,29). 

This reaction is carried out in tall fluidized beds of high L/dt ratio. Pressures up to 200 kPa are used at temperatures around 300°C. The copper catalyst is deposited onto the surface of the silicon metal particles. The product is a vapor-phase material and the particulate silicon is gradually consumed. As the particle diameter decreases the minimum fluidization velocity decreases also. While the linear velocity decreases, the mass velocity of the fluid increases with conversion. Therefore, the leftover small particles with the copper catalyst and some debris leave the reactor at the top exit. 

The direct process is less flexible than the Grignard process and is restricted primarily to the production of the, nevertheless all-important, methyl- and phenyl-chlorosilanes. The main reason for this is that higher alkyl halides than methyl chloride decompose at the reaction temperature and give poor yields of the desired products and also the fact that the copper catalyst is only really effective with methyl chloride. 

Among the many chiral Lewis acid catalysts described so far, not many practical catalysts meet these criteria. For a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, Corey s tryptophan-derived borane catalyst 4, and Yamamoto s CBA and BLA catalysts 3, 7, and 8 are excellent. Narasaka s chiral titanium catalyst 31 and Evans s chiral copper catalyst 24 are outstanding chiral Lewis acid catalysts of the reaction of 3-alkenoyl-l,2-oxazolidin-2-one as dienophile. These chiral Lewis acid catalysts have wide scope and generality compared with the others, as shown in their application to natural product syntheses. They are, however, still not perfect catalysts. We need to continue the endeavor to seek better catalysts which are more reactive, more selective, and have wider applicability. 

Hie products of this catalytic enanlioselective 1,4-addition still contain an enone moiety, prone lo subsequenl 1,4-addition [73]. An inlriguing queslion regarding stereoconlrol was posed would the stereoselectivity in the second addition step be governed by the catalyst or would there be a major effect fToni the stereocenlers already present Sequential 1,4-addition lo dimetlioxy-substiltiled cyclobexadienone 66 (Scheme 7.18) using the copper catalyst based on IS, R, i j-ligand 18 both in the... 

The two reactions described above can be applied for the synthesis of symmetrical -acetylenes only. Unsymmetrical bis-acetylenes can be prepared by using the Cadiot-Chodkiew icz reaction For that method a terminal alkyne 1 is reacted with a bromoalkyne 8 in the presence of a copper catalyst, to yield an unsymmetrical coupling product 9 ... 

The enantioselective 1,4-addition addition of organometaUic reagents to a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, the so-called Michael reaction, provides a powerful method for the synthesis of optically active compounds by carbon-carbon bond formation [129]. Therefore, symmetrical and unsymmetrical MiniPHOS phosphines were used for in situ preparation of copper-catalysts, and employed in an optimization study on Cu(I)-catalyzed Michael reactions of di-ethylzinc to a, -unsaturated ketones (Scheme 31) [29,30]. In most cases, complete conversion and good enantioselectivity were obtained and no 1,2-addition product was detected, showing complete regioselectivity. Of interest, the enantioselectivity observed using Cu(I) directly in place of Cu(II) allowed enhanced enantioselectivity, implying that the chiral environment of the Cu(I) complex produced by in situ reduction of Cu(II) may be less selective than the one with preformed Cu(I). 

Dichlorodibenzo- -dioxin. 2-Bromo-4-chlorophenol (31 grams, 0.15 mole) and solid potassium hydroxide (8.4 grams, 0.13 mole) were dissolved in methanol and evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. The residue was mixed with 50 ml of bEEE, 0.5 ml of ethylene diacetate, and 200 mg of copper catalyst. The turbid mixture was stirred and heated at 200°C for 15 hours. Cooling produced a thick slurry which was transferred into the 500-ml reservoir of a liquid chromatographic column (1.5 X 25 cm) packed with acetate ion exchange resin (Bio-Rad, AG1-X2, 200-400 mesh). The product was eluted from the column with 3 liters of chloroform. After evaporation, the residue was heated at 170°C/2 mm for 14 hours in a 300-cc Nestor-Faust sublimer. The identity of the sublimed product (14 grams, 74% yield) was confirmed by mass spectrometry and x-ray diffraction. Product purity was estimated at 99- -% by GLC (electron capture detector). 

Tetrachlorodiben2o- >-dioxin. Purified 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (50 grams, 0.26 mole) was converted to its potassium salt and dissolved in 100 ml of bEEE. After addition of the copper catalyst and ethylene diacetate, the mixture was transferred to the bottom of a 300-ml sub-limer with chloroform. Sublimation (200°C/2 mm) yielded 14 grams (39% yield) of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Mass spectral analysis revealed trace quantities of pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, tetrachloro-dibenzofuran, and several unidentified substances of similar molecular weight. The combined impurity peaks were estimated to be <1% of the total integrated GLC area. The product was further purified by recrystallizations from o-dichlorobenzene and anisole. The final product had an estimated 260 ppm of trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin as the only detected impurity. 

Chan et al. [38] prepared optically active atropoisomeric 2,2 -bipyridine by nickel(0)-catalyzed homo-couphng of 2-bromopyridylphenol derivatives (structure 28 in Scheme 16). Tested in the model test reaction, the copper catalyst led to frans-cyclopropanes as major products with up to 86% ee. 

Results obtained in the hydrogenation of 4-feri-butyl-cyclohexanone over seven different pre-reduced copper catalysts are reported in Table 1. The productivities, expressed as mmole eonverted/gcat h, are compared in Figure 1. 

Figure 1 Productivities of different copper catalysts (mmol prod/gcat h) in hydrogen transfer reactions.

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