Methanol from

An example of a series reaction system is the production of formaldehyde from methanol ... 

When the distillation is complete, filter olT the crude orange solid (9 g.) at the pump, wash it wdth water and drain well. Recrystallise from methanol or from methylated spirits. The p-bromobiphenyl is obtained as colourless lustrous plates, m.p. 89-91 " yield, 7 g. 

Dibromide formation. Dissolve 0 2 ml. of styrene in 0 5 ml. of CCI4 in a test-tube. Add slowly, drop by drop, a 10% solution of bromine in CCI4. Note the decolorisation of the bromine and absence of HBr fumes (therefore reaction by addition and not by substitution). Continue to add the bromine solution until a faint brown colour persists. Scratch the sides of the tube and cool it in ice-water. Filter off the crystals that separate and recrystallise the styrene dibromide from methanol m.p. 72 . 

Add 0 1 g. of the aldehyde in 5 ml. of 50 per cent, ethanol to 2 ml. of a 10 per cent, or saturated alcoholic solution of dimedone. If a precipitate does not form immediately, warm for 5 mintues if the solution is still clear at the end of this period, add hot water until the mixture is just cloudy and cool to about 6°. Collect the crystalline derivative and recrystallise it from methanol - water or ethanol - water. 

Dimethylbutadiene and 1 4-naphthoquinone. 2 3-Di-methylanthraquinone. In a small round-bottomed flask, fitted with a reflux condenser, place a solution of 8 g. of freshly-distUled 2 3-dimethyl-butadiene (Section 111,147) and 8 g. of 1 4-naphthoquinone (Section IV,149) in 30 ml. of ethanol, and reflux for 5 hours. Keep the resulting solution in a refrigerator for 12 hours break up the crystaUine mass, filter, and wash with 5 ml. of alcohol. The yield of crude adduct, m.p. 147-149°, is 11-5 g. recrystaUisation from methanol raises the m.p. to 150°. 

Bromo-2-nitrophenylacetic acid (26 g, 0.10 mol) was dissolved in a mixture of 50% HjSO (400 ml) and ethanol (600 ml) and heated to 90°C. Over a period of 1 h, zinc dust (26.2 g, 0.40 mol) was added. slowly and then heating was continued for 2 h. The excess ethanol was removed by distillation. The solution was cooled and filtered. The filtrate was extracted with EtOAc. The filtered product and extract were combined, washed with 5% NaCOj and brine and then dried (MgSO ). The solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue recrystallized from methanol to give 20.5 g (97% yield) of the oxindole. 

The cinnamate ester prepared as above (23.2 g. 79 mmol) was added as a solid slowly to refluxing xylene (500 ml) over a period of 3 h at a rate that prevented accumulation of unreacted azidocinnamate in the solution (monitored by gas evolution through a gas bubbler). The solution was refluxed for an additional 2 h after gas evolution ceased. The reaction mixture was cooled and the solvent removed in vacuo. The residue was recrystallized from methanol to give pure product (20.7 g, 99% yield). 

Bromination of methane is exothermic but less exothermic than chlorination The value calculated from bond dissociation energies is AH° = -30 kJ Al though bromination of methane is energetically fa vorable economic considerations cause most of the methyl bromide prepared commercially to be made from methanol by reaction with hydrogen bromide... 

Step 2 The anion radical is a strong base and abstracts a proton from methanol H H... 

Step 4 Proton transfer from methanol to the anion gives 1 4 cyclohexadiene H H H... 

An important question about the mechanism of acid catalyzed esterification concerns the origin of the alkoxy oxygen For example does the methoxy oxygen m methyl benzoate come from methanol or is it derived from benzoic acid s... 

About half of the wodd production comes from methanol carbonylation and about one-third from acetaldehyde oxidation. Another tenth of the wodd capacity can be attributed to butane—naphtha Hquid-phase oxidation. Appreciable quantities of acetic acid are recovered from reactions involving peracetic acid. Precise statistics on acetic acid production are compHcated by recycling of acid from cellulose acetate and poly(vinyl alcohol) production. Acetic acid that is by-product from peracetic acid [79-21-0] is normally designated as virgin acid, yet acid from hydrolysis of cellulose acetate or poly(vinyl acetate) is designated recycle acid. Indeterrninate quantities of acetic acid are coproduced with acetic anhydride from coal-based carbon monoxide and unknown amounts are bartered or exchanged between corporations as a device to lessen transport costs. 

The reaction mechanism and rates of methyl acetate carbonylation are not fully understood. In the nickel-cataly2ed reaction, rate constants for formation of methyl acetate from methanol, formation of dimethyl ether, and carbonylation of dimethyl ether have been reported, as well as their sensitivity to partial pressure of the reactants (32). For the rhodium chloride [10049-07-7] cataly2ed reaction, methyl acetate carbonylation is considered to go through formation of ethyUdene diacetate (33) ... 

Benefits depend upon location. There is reason to beheve that the ratio of hydrocarbon emissions to NO has an influence on the degree of benefit from methanol substitution in reducing the formation of photochemical smog (69). Additionally, continued testing on methanol vehicles, particularly on vehicles which have accumulated a considerable number of miles, may show that some of the assumptions made in the Carnegie Mellon assessment are not vahd. Air quaUty benefits of methanol also depend on good catalyst performance, especially in controlling formaldehyde, over the entire useful life of the vehicle. 

Methanol substitution strategies do not appear to cause an increase in exposure to ambient formaldehyde even though the direct emissions of formaldehyde have been somewhat higher than those of comparable gasoline cars. Most ambient formaldehyde is in fact secondary formaldehyde formed by photochemical reactions of hydrocarbons emitted from gasoline vehicles and other sources. The effects of slightly higher direct formaldehyde emissions from methanol cars are offset by reduced hydrocarbon emissions (68). 

Methanol use would also reduce pubHc exposure to toxic hydrocarbons associated with gasoline and diesel fuel, including ben2ene, 1,3-butadiene, diesel particulates, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Although pubHc formaldehyde exposures might increase from methanol use in garages and tunnels, methanol use is expected to reduce overall pubHc exposure to toxic air contaminants. 

In the late 1980s attempts were made in California to shift fuel use to methanol in order to capture the air quaHty benefits of the reduced photochemical reactivity of the emissions from methanol-fueled vehicles. Proposed legislation would mandate that some fraction of the sales of each vehicle manufacturer be capable of using methanol, and that fuel suppHers ensure that methanol was used in these vehicles. The legislation became a study of the California Advisory Board on Air QuaHty and Fuels. The report of the study recommended a broader approach to fuel quaHty and fuel choice that would define environmental objectives and allow the marketplace to determine which vehicle and fuel technologies were adequate to meet environmental objectives at lowest cost and maximum value to consumers. The report directed the California ARB to develop a regulatory approach that would preserve environmental objectives by using emissions standards that reflected the best potential of the cleanest fuels. 

By selection of appropriate operating conditions, the proportion of coproduced methanol and dimethyl ether can be varied over a wide range. The process is attractive as a method to enhance production of Hquid fuel from CO-rich synthesis gas. Dimethyl ether potentially can be used as a starting material for oxygenated hydrocarbons such as methyl acetate and higher ethers suitable for use in reformulated gasoline. Also, dimethyl ether is an intermediate in the Mobil MTG process for production of gasoline from methanol. 

With acidic catalysts in the Hquid phase, formaldehyde and alcohols give formals, eg, dimeth oxymaeth ane from methanol ... 

Historically, formaldehyde has been and continues to be manufactured from methanol. EoUowing World War II, however, as much as 20% of the formaldehyde produced in the United States was made by the vapor-phase, noncatalytic oxidation of propane and butanes (72). This nonselective oxidation process produces a broad spectmm of coproducts (73) which requites a complex cosdy separation system (74). Hence, the methanol process is preferred. The methanol raw material is normally produced from synthesis gas that is produced from methane. 

Most of the world s commercial formaldehyde is manufactured from methanol and air either by a process using a silver catalyst or one using a metal oxide catalyst. Reactor feed to the former is on the methanol-rich side of a flammable mixture and virtually complete reaction of oxygen is obtained conversely, feed to the metal oxide catalyst is lean in methanol and almost complete conversion of methanol is achieved. 

A third possible route is to produce formaldehyde from methyla1 that is produced from methanol and formaldehyde (112,113). The incentive for such a process is twofold. Eirst, a higher concentrated formaldehyde product of 70% could be made by methyla1 oxidation as opposed to methanol... 

Ethers, such as MTBE and methyl / fZ-amyl ether (TAME) are made by a catalytic process from methanol (qv) and the corresponding isomeric olefin. These ethers have excellent octane values and compete on an economic basis with alkylation for inclusion in gasoline. Another ether, ethyl tert-huty ether (ETBE) is made from ethanol (qv) and isobutylene (see Butylenes). The cost and economic driving forces to use ETBE vs MTBE or TAME ate a function of the raw material costs and any tax incentives that may be provided because of the ethanol that is used to produce it. 

Emissions from methanol vehicles are expected to produce lower HC and CO emissions than equivalent gasoline engines. However, methanol combustion produces significant amounts of formaldehyde (qv), a partial oxidation product of methanol. Eormaldehyde is classified as an air toxic and its emissions should be minimized. Eormaldehyde is also very reactive in the atmosphere and contributes to the formation of ozone. Emissions of NO may also pose a problem, especiaHy if the engine mns lean, a regime in which the standard three-way catalyst is not effective for NO reduction. 

LynestrenoL Lynestrenol (73) has been used in oral contraceptives and to treat menstrual disorders. It is converted in vivo to its active metabohte norethindrone (102,103). It can be recrystallized from methanol, and is soluble in ethanol, ether, chloroform, and acetone, and insoluble in water (102). The crystal stmcture (104) and other spectral and analytical data have been reported for lynestrenol (62). 

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