Direct Ethylene Oxidation

Hydroxypyrrolidine (14), a colorless oil, is readily obtained from 1-ethylpyrrolidine by conversion to the 1-oxide and then heating to split out ethylene. Direct oxidation of pyrrolidine by performic acid gave only a 1% conversion (59CB1748). Oxidation of 14 with mercuric oxide now gave 1-pyrroline 1-oxide 15 as a distillable liquid. Phenylmagnesium bromide added across the dipolarophilic system of 15 yielded l-hydroxy-2-... 

The catalytic reactions of methane reforming to syngas, oxidative coupling of methane to ethane and ethylene, direct oxidation of methane to methanol and formaldehyde occur at relatively high temperatures, 400—1000 °C, i.e., can be qualified as high-temperature catalytic oxidation processes. Numerous studies of these reactions, different in many ways, showed, however, that they have a number of common features, the most important of which are ... 

At one time acetaldehyde was prepared on an industrial scale by this method Modern methods involve direct oxidation of ethylene and are more economical... 

Acetaldehyde, first used extensively during World War I as a starting material for making acetone [67-64-1] from acetic acid [64-19-7] is currendy an important intermediate in the production of acetic acid, acetic anhydride [108-24-7] ethyl acetate [141-78-6] peracetic acid [79-21 -0] pentaerythritol [115-77-5] chloral [302-17-0], glyoxal [107-22-2], aLkylamines, and pyridines. Commercial processes for acetaldehyde production include the oxidation or dehydrogenation of ethanol, the addition of water to acetylene, the partial oxidation of hydrocarbons, and the direct oxidation of ethylene [74-85-1]. In 1989, it was estimated that 28 companies having more than 98% of the wodd s 2.5 megaton per year plant capacity used the Wacker-Hoechst processes for the direct oxidation of ethylene. 

From Acetylene. Although acetaldehyde has been produced commercially by the hydration of acetylene since 1916, this procedure has been almost completely replaced by the direct oxidation of ethylene. In the hydration process, high purity acetylene under a pressure of 103.4 kPa (15 psi) is passed into a vertical reactor containing a mercury catalyst dissolved in 18—25% sulfuric acid at 70—90°C (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). 

The direct oxidation of ethylene is used to produce acetaldehyde (qv) ia the Wacker-Hoechst process. The catalyst system is an aqueous solution of palladium chloride and cupric chloride. Under appropriate conditions an olefin can be oxidized to form an unsaturated aldehyde such as the production of acroleia [107-02-8] from propjiene (see Acrolein and derivatives). 

Starting from Benzene. In the direct oxidation of benzene [71-43-2] to phenol, formation of hydroquinone and catechol is observed (64). Ways to favor the formation of dihydroxybenzenes have been explored, hence CuCl in aqueous sulfuric acid medium catalyzes the hydroxylation of benzene to phenol (24%) and hydroquinone (8%) (65). The same effect can also be observed with Cu(II)—Cu(0) as a catalytic system (66). Efforts are now directed toward the use of Pd° on a support and Cu in aqueous acid and in the presence of a reducing agent such as CO, H2, or ethylene (67). Aromatic... 

Another attractive commercial route to MEK is via direct oxidation of / -butenes (34—39) in a reaction analogous to the Wacker-Hoechst process for acetaldehyde production via ethylene oxidation. In the Wacker-Hoechst process the oxidation of olefins is conducted in an aqueous solution containing palladium and copper chlorides. However, unlike acetaldehyde production, / -butene oxidation has not proved commercially successflil because chlorinated butanones and butyraldehyde by-products form which both reduce yields and compHcate product purification, and also because titanium-lined equipment is required to withstand chloride corrosion. 

Direct Oxidation of Propylene to Propylene Oxide. Comparison of ethylene (qv) and propylene gas-phase oxidation on supported silver and silver—gold catalysts shows propylene oxide formation to be 17 times slower than ethylene oxide (qv) formation and the CO2 formation in the propylene system to be six times faster, accounting for the lower selectivity to propylene oxide than for ethylene oxide. Increasing gold content in the catalyst results in increasing acrolein selectivity (198). In propylene oxidation a polymer forms on the catalyst surface that is oxidized to CO2 (199—201). Studies of propylene oxide oxidation to CO2 on a silver catalyst showed a rate oscillation, presumably owing to polymerization on the catalyst surface upon subsequent oxidation (202). 

For many years ethylene chlorohydrin was manufactured on a large iadustrial scale as a precursor to ethylene oxide, but this process has been almost completely displaced by the direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide over silver catalysts. However, siace other commercially important epoxides such as propylene oxide and epichlorohydrin cannot be made by direct oxidation of the parent olefin, chlorohydrin iatermediates are stiU important ia the manufacture of these products. 

Ethylene oxide [75-21-8] was first prepared in 1859 by Wurt2 from 2-chloroethanol (ethylene chlorohydrin) and aqueous potassium hydroxide (1). He later attempted to produce ethylene oxide by direct oxidation but did not succeed (2). Many other researchers were also unsuccesshil (3—6). In 1931, Lefort achieved direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide using a silver catalyst (7,8). Although early manufacture of ethylene oxide was accompHshed by the chlorohydrin process, the direct oxidation process has been used almost exclusively since 1940. Today about 9.6 x 10 t of ethylene oxide are produced each year worldwide. The primary use for ethylene oxide is in the manufacture of derivatives such as ethylene glycol, surfactants, and ethanolamines. 

Ethylene oxide has been produced commercially by two basic routes the ethylene chlorohydrin and direct oxidation processes. The chlorohydrin process was first iatroduced dufing World War I ia Germany by Badische Anilin-und Soda-Eabfik (BASE) and others (95). The process iavolves the reaction of ethylene with hypochlorous acid followed by dehydrochlofination of the resulting chlorohydrin with lime to produce ethylene oxide and calcium chloride. Union Carbide Corp. was the first to commercialize this process ia the United States ia 1925. The chlorohydrin process is not economically competitive, and was quickly replaced by the direct oxidation process as the dominant technology. At the present time, all the ethylene oxide production ia the world is achieved by the direct oxidation process. 

AH ethylene oxide direct-oxidation plants are based on the original process chemistry discovered by Lefort in 1931 (7,8). The main reaction is as follows ... 

In addition to ethylene oxide, carbon dioxide, and water, small quantities of acetaldehyde and traces of formaldehyde are also produced in the process. They generally total less than 0.2% of the ethylene oxide formed. Acetaldehyde is most likely formed by isomerization of ethylene oxide, whereas formaldehyde is most likely formed by direct oxidation of ethylene (108). 

Air-Based Direct Oxidation Process. A schematic flow diagram of the air-based ethylene oxide process is shown in Figure 2. Pubhshed information on the detailed evolution of commercial ethylene oxide processes is very scanty, and Figure 2 does not necessarily correspond to the actual equipment or process employed in any modem ethylene oxide plant. Precise information regarding process technology is proprietary. However, Figure 2 does illustrate all the saUent concepts involved in the manufacturing process. The process can be conveniently divided into three primary sections reaction system, oxide recovery, and oxide purification. 

Fig. 2. Air-based direct oxidation process for ethylene oxide (96,102,109,117—119)).

Table 10. Ranges of Reaction System Variables in the Direct Oxidation Process for Ethylene Oxide ...

Ethylene Oxide Catalysts. Of all the factors that influence the utihty of the direct oxidation process for ethylene oxide, the catalyst used is of the greatest importance. It is for this reason that catalyst preparation and research have been considerable since the reaction was discovered. There are four basic components in commercial ethylene oxide catalysts the active catalyst metal the bulk support catalyst promoters that increase selectivity and/or activity and improve catalyst life and inhibitors or anticatalysts that suppress the formation of carbon dioxide and water without appreciably reducing the rate of formation of ethylene oxide (105). 

Unsteady-State Direct Oxidation Process. Periodic iatermption of the feeds can be used to reduce the sharp temperature gradients associated with the conventional oxidation of ethylene over a silver catalyst (209). Steady and periodic operation of a packed-bed reactor has been iavestigated for the production of ethylene oxide (210). By periodically varyiag the inlet feed concentration of ethylene or oxygen, or both, considerable improvements ia the selectivity to ethylene oxide were claimed. 

Ethylene oxide secondary oxidation with C-tagged ethylene oxide, to clarify the source of CO2, was done at Union Carbide but not published. This was about 10 years before the publication of Happel (1977). With very limited radioactive supply only a semi-quantitative result could be gained but it helped the kinetic modeling work. It became clear that most CO2 comes from ethylene directly and only about 20% from the secondary oxidation of ethylene oxide. 

The influence of the conformational factors, which play a decisive role in directing oxide fission in the above cases is no longer operative in the case of 3-keto-5a,6a-epoxides and their 3-ethylene ketals. With these substrates the —I effect of the BFs-complexed 3-keto or 3-ketal grouping predominates leading to the fluorohydrins. Thus, treatment of both 5a,6a-oxidopregnane-3,20-dione (35) and its 3,20-bisethylene ketal with BFg-etherate in benzene-ether affords in 45% yield the 6jff-fluoro-5a-hydroxy-derivative (36) and its 3-ethylene ketal, respectively. which are converted into the 6a-fluoro-A -CH3... 

Another means of in situ metal-carbene complex formation in an ionic liquid is the direct oxidative addition of the imidazolium cation to a metal center in a low oxidation state (see Scheme 5.2-2, route b)). Cavell and co-workers have observed oxidative addition on heating 1,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate with Pt(PPli3)4 in refluxing THF [32]. The Pt-carbene complex formed can decompose by reductive elimination. Winterton et al. have also described the formation of a Pt-car-bene complex by oxidative addition of the [EMIM] cation to PtCl2 in a basic [EMIM]C1/A1C13 system (free CP ions present) under ethylene pressure [33]. The formation of a Pt-carbene complex by oxidative addition of the imidazolium cation is displayed in Scheme 5.2-4. 

Extend Range of Feedstocks for the Process. Feedstock flexibility can enable maximum advantage to be taken of market fluctuations in the price and availability within the range of feedstocks which can be used. Obviously this is inappropriate in some cases where there is a close chemical link between feedstock and product, e.g. direct oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide, but in some processes, e.g. steam-reforming, flexibility is possible and may be advantageous. 

With the growing prominence of the petrochemicals industry this technology was, in turn, replaced by direct air oxidation of naphtha or butane. Both these processes have low selectivities but the naphtha route is still used since it is a valuable source of the co-products, formic and propanoic acid. The Wacker process, which uses ethylene as a feedstock for palladium/copper chloride catalysed synthesis of acetaldehyde, for which it is still widely used (Box 9.1), competed with the direct oxidation routes for a number of years. This process, however, produced undesirable amounts of chlorinated and oxychlorinated by-products, which required separation and disposal. 

Heteropolyacids are also beginning to emerge from academic laboratories and find commercial applications. Showa Denko, for example, claim to have a process [14] for the direct oxidation of ethylene to acetic acid employing a bifunctional Pt/heteropolyacid catalyst system. 

Ethylene oxide Direct oxidation 100,000 9,000,000 90 0.67 Cost also includes conversion... 

Direct oxidation, of H2S, 23 616—617 Direct oxidation catalyst, 23 616—617 Direct oxidation ethylene oxide manufacture, 10 641—648 Direct oxidation tail gas process, 23 619 Direct oxide reduction (DOR) process, 19 676-677... 

In the 1940s and 1950s, a considerable amount of research was funded to find and develop the chemists impossible dream a process for the direct oxidation of ethylene to EO, without any by-products. Finally, Union Carbide found the silver bullet that did the joE)—a catalyst made of silver oxide. Silver oxide is the only substance found having sufficient activity and selectivity. (Activity relates to the amount of conversion, selectivity relates to the right yield.) Moreover, ethylene is the only olefin affected in this way. The others, propylene, butylene, etc., tend to oxidize completely, forming carbon dioxide and water. But when silver oxide is used as a catalyst with ethylene, the dominant reaction is the formation of EO. Some ethylene still ends up being further oxidized, as much as 25% in some processes, as shown in Figure 10—2. 

Since more than 60% of the EO production is converted directly to EG, the obvious question some macho chemist might ask is why don t we do an end run and just convert ethylene directly to EG Skip the oxidation step. Research starting 50 years ago led to several promising commercial processes, oxychlorination and acetoxylation. Exotic catalysts were used, and both avoided the EO step. But neither process was quite effective enough to replace the ethylene-to-EO-to-MEG route, which predominates today. 

You have to talk about propylene oxide and propylene glycol after ethylene oxide and glycol. Its not that the chemical configurations are so similar (they are), or that the process chemistry is about the same (it is). The Fact is that much of the propylene oxide is now made in plants originally designed and constructed to produce EO, not PO. As you read in the last chapter, the chlorohydrin route to EO was abandoned by the 1970s in favor of direct oxidation. At the same time, the EO producers found that the old EO plants were suitable for the production of PO and certainly the cheapest hardware available to satisfy growing PO demands. 

Oxidation of ethyl alcohol was one of the two important commercial routes to acetaldehyde until the 1950s, The other, much older route was the hydration of acetylene. The chemical industry was always after a replacement of acetylene chemistry, not just for acetaldehyde production, but all its many applications. Acetylene was expensive to produce, and with its reactive, explosive nature, it was difficult to handle. In the 1950s, acetylene chemistry and the ethyl alcohol oxidation route were largely phased out by the introduction of the liquid phase direct oxidation of ethylene. Almost all the acetaldehyde produced uses the newer process. 

Acetaldehyde is made by the direct oxidation of ethylene, C2H4. It is a liquid at room temperature and is an intermediate in the production of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, butyl, and 2-ethyl hexyl alcohol. 

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