DMT-1

Formosa Plastics Corp., USA Baton Rouge, La. Fort Howard Corp. 179.6 1937 ICI-DMT diaphragm, 81 1... 

Terephthahc acid (TA) or dimethyl terephthalate [120-61 -6] (DMT) reacts with ethyleae glycol (2G) to form bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate [959-26-2] (BHET) which is coadeasatioa polymerized to PET with the elimination of 2G. Moltea polymer is extmded through a die (spinneret) forming filaments that are solidified by air cooling. Combinations of stress, strain, and thermal treatments are appHed to the filaments to orient and crystallize the molecular chains. These steps develop the fiber properties required for specific uses. The two general physical forms of PET fibers are continuous filament and cut staple. 

Raw Materials. Eor the first decade of PET manufacture, only DMT could be made sufficiently pure to produce high molecular weight PET. DMT is made by the catalytic air oxidation of -xylene to cmde TA, esterification with methanol, and purification by crystallization and distillation. After about 1965, processes to purify cmde TA by hydrogenation and crystallization became commercial (52) (see Phthalic ACID AND OTHER... 

Polymerization. Commercial productioa of PET polymer is a two-step process carried out through a series of coatiauous staged reactioa vessels. Eirst, monomer is formed by transesterificatioa of DMT or by direct esterificatioa of TA with 2G ... 

Starting with DMT, methanol is removed from the reaction starting with TA, water is removed. Catalysts ate used to transesterrfy DMT but not for direct esterification of TA. The second step is the polycondensation reaction which is driven by removing glycol. A polycondensation catalyst is used. 

Various ways of overcoming the PTA oxidation problem have been incorporated into commercial processes. The predominant solution is the use of high concentrations of manganese and cobalt ions (2,248—254), optionally with various cocatalysts (204,255,256), in the presence of an organic or inorganic bromide promoter in acetic acid solvent. Operational temperatures are rather high (ca 200°C). A lesser but significant alternative involves isolation of intermediate PTA, conversion to methyl/)-toluate, and recycle to the reactor. The ester is oxidized to monomethyl terephthalate, which is subsequentiy converted to DMT and purified by distillation (248,257—264). 

Other Markets. The use of methanol in the production of formaldehyde, MTBE, and acetic acid [64-19-7] accounts for approximately two-thirds of the worldwide demand for methanol. Methanol is used as feedstock for various other chemicals, such as dimethyl terephthalate (DMT)... 

The synthetic scheme typically involves chain-extending addition of protected mononucleotides to a nucleoside bound covalentiy at the 3 -hydroxyl to an inert siUca-based soHd support, such as controlled pore glass (Fig. 11). The initial base-protected 5 -O-dimethoxytrityl (DMT) deoxynucleoside is linked to the soHd support via the reaction of a siUca-bound amino-silane and the -nitrophenylester of the 3 -succinylated nucleoside, yielding a 3 -terminal nucleoside attached to the soHd support (1) (Fig. 11). Chain elongation requites the removal of the 5 -DMT protecting group. 

Fig. 15. Structures of conjugate groups linked to oligonucleotides. DMT = dimethoxytrityl.

Cyclohexanedimethanol (47) starts from dimethyl terephthalate. The aromatic ring is hydrogenated in methanol to dimethyl cyclohexane-l,4-dicarboxylate (hexahydro-DMT) and the ester groups are further reduced under high pressure to the bis primary alcohol, usually as a 68/32 mixture of trans and cis forms. The mixed diol is a sticky low melting soHd, mp 45—50°C. It is of interest that waste PET polymer maybe direcdy hydrogenated in methanol to cyclohexanedimethanol (48). 

In summary, beginning in 1993, toluene consumption for TDP has been increasing because of -xylene demand for DMT/PTA, and in turn for polyester fiber production. This trend is expected to continue in the future and whenever the -xylene market is stronger than the benzene market, TDP units will operate, and HD A units will be shut down or converted to TDP units. 

The avadabihty of PMDI also led to the development of polyurethane-modified isocyanurate (PUIR) foams by 1967. The PUIR foams have superior thermal stabiUty and combustibiUty characteristics, which extend the use temperature of insulation foams well above 150°C. The PUIR foams are used in pipe, vessel, and solar panel insulation glass-fiber-reinforced PUIR roofing panels having superior dimensional stabiUty have also been developed. More recently, inexpensive polyester polyols based on residues obtained in the production of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) have been used in the formulation of rigid polyurethane and PUIR foams. 

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