Cumenes reaction

Enthalpies, Activation Energies, Rate Constants, Increment A H, aid Geometrical Parameters of TS Reactions of Phenoxyl Radicals with Cumene (Reaction 10) Calculated by I PM Method... 

One report of a secondary /3-deuterium KIE for a carbene insertion reaction has appeared recently. Pascal and Mischke (1991) found that the /3-deuterium KIE for the insertion of dichlorocarbene into the benzylic C—H bond of cumene (reaction (39)) was (kH/kD)p = 1.250 and 1.22 when the KIE was based on GC-MS analyses and H nmr, respectively. 

Cumene reaction rate law if adsorption were Hrniting step... 

Cumene reaction rale law if adsorplion were the iimicing step... 

These and other data indicated that the cumene test procedure yields activity data which are characteristic of the acid function of a catalyst, without interference from platinum which may be simultaneously present. Some studies of the composition of the gas produced during the cumene reaction tests led to some findings which we believe to be related to the cumene cracking mechanism itself these independently interesting results are reported in the Appendix. 

Fig s 3 to 5 show the comparison between experiment and model for the pulse measurements of cumene at different conversions. Propene diffuses very fast and is weakly adsorbed and therefore its response curve depends on the parameters of cumene. Apart fiem experimental errors of the cumene response curve close to C/Co=10, the ciunene response curve shows only one time constant. With these approximations the analysis of the propene response curve reveals that the cumene reaction takes place in the strong diffusion limitation regime with no adsorption... 

In the case study, the constant superficial velocity was maintained at higher tenperatures by decreasing the excess benzene. The total concentration of gas in the reactor was reduced. This tends to decrease the reaction rate. In addition, the reaction equations show that the lower benzene concentration reduces the cumene reaction rate and has no inpact on the DIPB reaction. As a result of maintaining a constant required superficial velocity by lowering the excess benzene, the selectivity is reduced. 

Table C.17 Reaction Kinetics for Cumene Reactions (Unit 800)...

Obtained synthetically by one of the following processes fusion of sodium ben-zenesulphonate with NaOH to give sodium phenate hydrolysis of chlorobenzene by dilute NaOH at 400 C and 300atm. to give sodium phenate (Dow process) catalytic vapour-phase reaction of steam and chlorobenzene at 500°C (Raschig process) direct oxidation of cumene (isopropylbenzene) to the hydroperoxide, followed by acid cleavage lo propanone and phenol catalytic liquid-phase oxidation of toluene to benzoic acid and then phenol. Where the phenate is formed, phenol is liberated by acidification. 

Because the protonation of ozone removes its dipolar nature, the electrophilic chemistry of HOs, a very efficient oxygenating electrophile, has no relevance to conventional ozone chemistry. The superacid-catalyzed reaction of isobutane with ozone giving acetone and methyl alcohol, the aliphatic equivalent of the industrially significant Hock-reaction of cumene, is illustrative. 

The thermal decomposition of thia2ol-2-yl-carbonyl peroxide in benzene, bromobenzene, or cumene affords thiazole together with good yields of 2-arylthiazoles but negligible amounts of esters. Thiazol-4-ylcarbonyl peroxide gives fair yields of 4-arylthiazoles, but the phenyl ester is also a major product in benzene, indicating reactions of both thiazol-4-yl radicals and thiazol-4-carbonyloxy radicals. Thiazole-5-carbonyl peroxide gives... 

One of the mdustnal processes for the preparation of phenol discussed in Section 24 6 includes an acid catalyzed rearrangement of cumene hydroperoxide as a key step This reaction proceeds by way of an intermediate hemiacetal... 

This procedure may result in a concentration of cumene hydroperoxide of 9—12% in the first reactor, 15—20% in the second, 24—29% in the third, and 32—39% in the fourth. Yields of cumene hydroperoxide may be in the range of 90—95% (18). The total residence time in each reactor is likely to be in the range of 3—6 h. The product is then concentrated by evaporation to 75—85% cumene hydroperoxide. The hydroperoxide is cleaved under acid conditions with agitation in a vessel at 60—100°C. A large number of nonoxidising inorganic acids are usehil for this reaction, eg, sulfur dioxide (19). 

Acryhc stmctural adhesives have been modified by elastomers in order to obtain a phase-separated, toughened system. A significant contribution in this technology has been made in which acryhc adhesives were modified by the addition of chlorosulfonated polyethylene to obtain a phase-separated stmctural adhesive (11). Such adhesives also contain methyl methacrylate, glacial methacrylic acid, and cross-linkers such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate [97-90-5]. The polymerization initiation system, which includes cumene hydroperoxide, N,1S7-dimethyl- -toluidine, and saccharin, can be apphed to the adherend surface as a primer, or it can be formulated as the second part of a two-part adhesive. Modification of cyanoacrylates using elastomers has also been attempted copolymers of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene ethylene copolymers with methylacrylate or copolymers of methacrylates with butadiene and styrene have been used. However, because of the extreme reactivity of the monomer, modification of cyanoacrylate adhesives is very difficult and material purity is essential in order to be able to modify the cyanoacrylate without causing premature reaction. 

Synthetic phenol capacity in the United States was reported to be ca 1.6 x 10 t/yr in 1989 (206), almost completely based on the cumene process (see Cumene Phenol). Some synthetic phenol [108-95-2] is made from toluene by a process developed by The Dow Chemical Company (2,299—301). Toluene [108-88-3] is oxidized to benzoic acid in a conventional LPO process. Liquid-phase oxidative decarboxylation with a copper-containing catalyst gives phenol in high yield (2,299—304). The phenoHc hydroxyl group is located ortho to the position previously occupied by the carboxyl group of benzoic acid (2,299,301,305). This provides a means to produce meta-substituted phenols otherwise difficult to make (2,306). VPOs for the oxidative decarboxylation of benzoic acid have also been reported (2,307—309). Although the mechanism appears to be similar to the LPO scheme (309), the VPO reaction is reported not to work for toluic acids (310). 

An oxirane process utilizes ethylbenzene to make the hydroperoxide, which then is used to make propylene oxide [75-56-9]. The hydroperoxide-producing reaction is similar to the first step of cumene LPO except that it is slower (2,224,316—318). In the epoxidation step, a-phenylethyl alcohol [98-85-1] is the coproduct. It is dehydrated to styrene [100-42-5]. The reported 1992 capacity for styrene by this route was 0.59 X 10 t/yr (319). The corresponding propylene oxide capacity is ca 0.33 x 10 t/yr. The total propylene oxide capacity based on hydroperoxide oxidation of propylene [115-07-1] (coproducts are /-butyl alcohol and styrene) is 1.05 x 10 t/yr (225). 

Diisopropjibenzenes (DIPB) are readily obtained via Eriedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene or cumene by propylene. This reaction inhquid phase has not evolved drastically since 1980 with the exception of the large variety of heterogeneous acid catalysts that are now being used, mainly zeoHtes, type HZSM-12, giving a para/meta ratio = 0.7 (4). In fact, propylene can also be replaced by isopropyl alcohol coming from the hydrogenation of acetone that... 

Tertiary peroxyl radicals also produce chemiluminescence although with lower efficiencies. For example, the intensity from cumene autooxidation, where the peroxyl radical is tertiary, is a factor of 10 less than that from ethylbenzene (132). The chemiluminescent mechanism for cumene may be the same as for secondary hydrocarbons because methylperoxy radical combination is involved in the termination step. The primary methylperoxyl radical terminates according to the chemiluminescent reaction just shown for (36), ie, R = H. 

Cumene Process. There are several Hcensed processes to produce phenol which are based on cumene (qv) (1,8—11). AH of these processes consist of two fundamental chemical reactions cumene is oxidized with air to form cumene hydroperoxide, and cumene hydroperoxide is cleaved to yield phenol and acetone. In this process, approximately 0.46 kg of acetone and 0.75 kg of phenol are produced per kg of cumene feedstock. 

A typical phenol plant based on the cumene hydroperoxide process can be divided into two principal areas. In the reaction area, cumene, formed by alkylation of benzene and propylene, is oxidized to form cumene hydroperoxide (CHP). The cumene hydroperoxide is concentrated and cleaved to produce phenol and acetone. By-products of the oxidation reaction are acetophenone and dimethyl benzyl alcohol (DMBA). DMBA is dehydrated in the cleavage reaction to produce alpha-methylstyrene (AMS). 

The recovery area of the plant employs fractionation to recover and purify the phenol and acetone products. Also in this section the alpha-methylstyrene is recovered and may be hydrogenated back to cumene or recovered as AMS product. The hydrogenated AMS is recycled as feedstock to the reaction area. The overall yield for the cumene process is 96 mol %. Figure 1 is a simplified process diagram. 

Oxidation of cumene to cumene hydroperoxide is usually achieved in three to four oxidizers in series, where the fractional conversion is about the same for each reactor. Fresh cumene and recycled cumene are fed to the first reactor. Air is bubbled in at the bottom of the reactor and leaves at the top of each reactor. The oxidizers are operated at low to moderate pressure. Due to the exothermic nature of the oxidation reaction, heat is generated and must be removed by external cooling. A portion of cumene reacts to form dimethylbenzyl alcohol and acetophenone. Methanol is formed in the acetophenone reaction and is further oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid. A small amount of water is also formed by the various reactions. The selectivity of the oxidation reaction is a function of oxidation conditions temperature, conversion level, residence time, and oxygen partial pressure. Typical commercial yield of cumene hydroperoxide is about 95 mol % in the oxidizers. The reaction effluent is stripped off unreacted cumene which is then recycled as feedstock. Spent air from the oxidizers is treated to recover 99.99% of the cumene and other volatile organic compounds. 

The concentrated cumene hydroperoxide solution from the cumene stripping section is fed to the cleavage reaction. The cleavage reaction is carried... 

Some fabrication processes, such as continuous panel processes, are mn at elevated temperatures to improve productivity. Dual-catalyst systems are commonly used to initiate a controlled rapid gel and then a fast cure to complete the cross-linking reaction. Cumene hydroperoxide initiated at 50°C with benzyl trimethyl ammonium hydroxide and copper naphthenate in combination with tert-huty octoate are preferred for panel products. Other heat-initiated catalysts, such as lauroyl peroxide and tert-huty perbenzoate, are optional systems. Eor higher temperature mol ding processes such as pultmsion or matched metal die mol ding at temperatures of 150°C, dual-catalyst systems are usually employed based on /-butyl perbenzoate and 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di-2-ethyIhexanoylperoxy-hexane (Table 6). 

Reaction T oluene o-Xylene m- -Xylene P s eu do cumene Hemimellitene ... 

The distillation system is designed to recover a high purity cumene product. The unconverted benzene and polyisopropylbenzenes are separated and recycled to the reaction system. Propane ia the propyleae feed is recovered as fiquid petroleum gas (LPG). 

Zeolite Catalysts. Uaocal has iatroduced a fixed-bed fiquid-phase reactor system based oa a Y-type zeofite catalyst (62). The selectivity to cumene is geaeraHy betweea 70 and 90 wt %. The remaining components are primarily polyisopropylbenzenes, which are transalkylated to cumene ia a separate reactioa zoae to give an overall yield of cumene of about 99 wt %. The distillation requirements iavolve the separation of propane for LPG use, the recycle of excess benzene to the reaction zones, the separation of polyisopropylbenzene for transalkylation to cumene, and the production of a purified cumene product. 

Process. As soHd acid catalysts have replaced Hquid acid catalysts, they have typically been placed in conventional fixed-bed reactors. An extension of fixed-bed reactor technology is the concept of catalytic distillation being offered by CR L (48). In catalytic distillation, the catalytic reaction and separation of products occur in the same vessel. The concept has been appHed commercially for the production of MTBE and is also being offered for the production of ethylbenzene and cumene. 

Cresols can be made from propylene by reaction with toluene to produce cumene (111). 

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