2-ethyl hexanol process

The largest commercial process is the hydroformylation of propene, which yields n-butyraldehyde and isobutyraldehyde. n-Butyraldehyde (n-butanal) is either hydrogenated to n-butanol or transformed to 2-ethyl-hexanol via aldol condensation and subsequent hydrogenation. 2-Ethylhexanol is an important plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride. This reaction is noted in Chapter 8. 

The aldol reaction is probably one of the most important reactions in organic synthesis. In many industrially important hydroformylation processes selfcondensation of aldehydes is observed. Sometimes this consecutive reaction is favored as in the production of 2-ethyl hexanol. But synthetic applications of tandem hydroformylation/aldol reactions seem to be limited due regiose-lectivity problems of a mixed aldol reaction (Scheme 28). However, various tandem hydroformylation/intramolecular mixed aldol reactions have been described. 

Ethyl hexanol, sometimes called 2-ethyl hexyl alcohol, 2-ethyl hex, or more simply 2-EH, is one of the oldest high molecular weight aliphatic alcohols. What does it have in common with NBA Both are made from propylene via the Oxo process, and both have the same aldehyde intermediate— normal butyraldehyde. 

The process to make 2-ethyl hexanol starts with propylene and synthesis gas, but it takes dimerization and hydrogenation to form the proper carbon chain and alcohol group, -OH. 

The hydroformylation reaction, also known as the oxo reaction, is used extensively in commercial processes for the preparation of aldehydes by the reaction of one mole of an olefin with one mole each of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The most extensive use of the reaction is in the preparation of normal- and iso-butyraldehyde from propylene. The ratio of the amount of the normal aldehyde product to the amount of the iso aldehyde product typically is referred to as the normal to iso (N I) or the normal to branched (N B) ratio. In the case of propylene, the normal- and iso-butyraldehydes obtained from propylene are in turn converted into many commercially-valuable chemical products such as n-butanol, 2-ethyl-hexanol, trimethylol propane, polyvinylbutyral, n-butyric acid, iso-butanol, neo-pentyl glycol,... 

As many as 70 products were at one time produced commercially from ethanol. Some of these downstream products are butanol, 2-ethyl hexanol, crotonaldehyde, butyraldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, butadiene, sorbic acid, 2-ethylbutanol, ethyl ether, many esters, ethanol-glycol ethers, acetic anhydride, vinyl acetate, ethyl vinyl ether, even ethylene gas. Many of these products are now more economically made from other feedstocks such as ethylene for acetaldehyde and methanol-carbon monoxide for acetic acid. Time will tell when a revival of biologically-oriented processes will offer lower-cost routes to at least the simpler products. 

This case study investigates the possibility of applying reactive distillation to the synthesis of fatty-acid esters as a generic multiproduct process. As representative species we consider the lauric (dodecanoic) acid and some alcohols the series Q-C8, such as methanol, n-propanol and 2-ethyl-hexanol (isooctanol). The generic reversible chemical reaction is ... 

This section deals with the conceptual design of a catalytic distillation process for the esterification of lauric acid (LA) with 2-ethyl-hexanol (2EtH). Laboratory experiments showed that a superacid sulfated zirconia catalyst exhibits good activity over a large interval, from 130 to 180 °C with no ether formation. On the contrary, the catalyst is sensitive to the presence of free liquid water. Raw materials are lauric acid and 2-ethylhexyl alcohol of high purity. The conversion should be over 99.9%, because the product is aimed at cosmetic applications. 

Tables 9.15 and 9.16 summarize the main economic data available in the literature or recalculated, concerning the production of 2-ethyl hexanol, isooctanols in mixtures, or higher alcohols by different industrial processes.

EINECS 235-741-0 2-Ethylhexanol phosphate 2-Ethylhexyl phosphate Phosphated 2-ethyl hexanol Phosphoric acid, 2-ethylhexyl ester Phosphoric acid, 2-ethylhexyl esters Phosphoric acid, esters with 2-ethylhexanol Rhodafac PEH. Detergent, dispersant, and wetting agent in textile wet processing, Rhdne Poulenc Surfactants. 

Distillation with reaction, where the normal process is coupled with a liquid phase reaction, is also interesting and esterifications of certain alcohols with acids are typical industrial applications. These include, among others the homogeneously catalyzed butyl acetate process and the production of the plasticizer di-octyl-phthalate from phthalic anhydride and 2-ethyl-hexanol. However, the subject which involves both product formation and separation aspects has not usually been treated in the literature relating specifically to "mass transfer with reaction". 

Some years ago, these possibilities were examined [53] with (—)-menthyl benzoylformate and ethyl benzoylformate. A simple asymmetric reduction involving either (—)-menthyl benzoylformate with an acliiral agent, liAlH4(LAH)-cyclo-hexanol, process (a), or ethyl benzoylformate with a chiral reducing agent, LAH-(+)-camphor, process (b), gave (/ )-mandelic acid after hydrolysis, in relatively low optical yields (10 and 4% e.e., respectively). On the other hand, the double asymmetric reduction , process (c), resulted in 49% asymmetric synthesis. This result is more than would be anticipated on the basis of a simple additive effect. 

An example with huge economic relevance is the manufacture of 2-propyl-heptanol (2-PH) as a component of plasticizer alcohols and, on a smaller scale, for use in cosmetics [9]. On an industrial scale, the transformation is commonly conducted as a three-step approach starting with the hydroformylation of isomeric butenes, subsequent aldol reaction of formed -valeraldehyde, and, finally, combined hydrogenation of the C-C double bond and aldehyde group [10]. In a similar process, the production of the plasticizer alcohol 2-ethyl-hexanol (2-EH) is carried out [11, 12]. 

The terephthalate plasticizer DEHTP, first commercialized around 1975 as Eastman DOTP, is very similar in structure to DEHP except that the substitution of the aromatic ring is at the 1,4 position versus the 1,2 position of the aromatic ring. The structure of DEHTP is also shown in Pig. 24.1. Terephthalates are prepared by the esterification of terephthaUc acid or by the transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with aliphatic alcohols such as butanol or 2-ethyl hexanol. Although DEHTP can be produced from terephthalic acid in a traditional DEHP esterification plant with minor modifications to the process, this process is not as efficient as the esterification of phthalic anhydride and manufacturing capacity reductions of >50% are realized. Transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate is a much faster reaction. However, this process will require significant process modifications to a traditional DEHP manufacturing unit. One benefit with this chemistry is that it does not lead to a significant drop in production capacity. The main problem with this route is the limited availability of dimethyl terephthalate in many locations. 

Uses Antifoam for aq. and nonaq. industrial processes including cutting oils, epoxy resins, low-foam detergents, oil additives, paint and paint resins, printing inks Properties Translucent grey liq. tasteless si. odor sol. in amyl acetate, ethyl acetate, 2-ethyl hexanol, kerosine, methyl isobutyl ketone, per-chlorethylene, toluene, wh. spirits, xylene sp.gr. 1.0 (lash pt. > 315 C 100% act. 

Chapter 17 - Vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data are important for designing and modeling of process equipments. Since it is not always possible to carry out experiments at all possible temperatures and pressures, generally thermodynamic models based on equations on state are used for estimation of VLE. In this paper, an alternate tool, i.e. the artificial neural network technique has been applied for estimation of VLE for the binary systems viz. tert-butanol+2-ethyl-l-hexanol and n-butanol+2-ethyl-l-hexanol. The temperature range in which these models are valid is 353.2-458.2K at atmospheric pressure. The average absolute deviation for the temperature output was in range 2-3.3% and for the activity coefficient was less than 0.009%. The results were then compared with experimental data. 

Formation of aldehydes by the reaction of alkene, CO and H2 catalysed by Co2(CO)8 was discovered by Rolen in 1938 [25]. This is the 1,2-addition of H and CHO to alkenes, and hence called hydroformylation or the oxo reaction. Production of butanal, (33) from propylene as a main product is an important industrial process. Aldol condensation of butanal, followed by hydrogenation affords 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (34), which is converted to phthalate, and used as a plasticizer of poly(vinyl chloride). 

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