Mercaptans manufacturing

FIGURE 8.1 The mercaptan manufacturing facility at the Borger (Texas) facility of the Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. At least 10 distillation columns are visible. (Courtesy of the Chevron Phillips Chemical Company.)... 

Vinyl ethers are prepared in a solution process at 150—200°C with alkaH metal hydroxide catalysts (32—34), although a vapor-phase process has been reported (35). A wide variety of vinyl ethers are produced commercially. Vinyl acetate has been manufactured from acetic acid and acetylene in a vapor-phase process using zinc acetate catalyst (36,37), but ethylene is the currently preferred raw material. Vinyl derivatives of amines, amides, and mercaptans can be made similarly. A/-Vinyl-2-pyrroHdinone is a commercially important monomer prepared by vinylation of 2-pyrroHdinone using a base catalyst. 

Nitroethane. The principal use of nitroethane is as a raw material for synthesis in two appHcations. It is used to manufacture a-methyl dopa, a hypertensive agent. Also, the insecticide 3 -methyl-A/-[(methylcarbamoyl)oxy]thioacetimidate [16752-77-5] can be produced by a synthesis route using nitroethane as a raw material. The first step of this process involves the reaction of the potassium salt of nitroethane, methyl mercaptan, and methanol to form methyl methylacetohydroxamate. Solvent use of nitroethane is limited but significant. Generally, it is used in a blend with 1-nitropropane. 

ZeoHte-based materials are extremely versatile uses include detergent manufacture, ion-exchange resins (ie, water softeners), catalytic appHcations in the petroleum industry, separation processes (ie, molecular sieves), and as an adsorbent for water, carbon dioxide, mercaptans, and hydrogen sulfide. 

Manufacture. Methanesulfonyl chloride is made commercially either by the chlorination of methyl mercaptan or by the sulfochlorination of methane. The product is available in 99.5% assay purity by Elf Atochem NA in the United States or by Elf Atochem SA in Europe. 

Manufacture. Methanesulfonic acid is made commercially by oxidation of methyl mercaptan by chlorine in aqueous hydrochloric acid to give methanesulfonyl chloride which is then hydrolyzed to MSA. 

The chemistry of organic sulfur compounds is very rich and organosulfur compounds are incorporated into many molecules. Thiols, or mercaptans as they were originally called, are essential as feedstocks in the manufacture of many types of mbber (qv) and plastics (qv). They are utilized as intermediates in agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals (qv), ia flavors and fragrances, and as animal feed supplements. Many reviews have been undertaken on the chemistry of the thiols, regarding both their preparation and their reactions (1 7). 

The original SBR process is carried out at. 50° C and is referred to as hot polymerization. It accounts for only about 5% of aU the mbber produced today. The dominant cold polymerization technology today employs more active initiators to effect polymerization at about 5°C. It accounts for about 85% of the products manufactured. Typical emulsion polymerization processes incorporate about 75% butadiene. The initiators are based on persulfate in conjunction with mercaptans (197), or organic hydroperoxide in conjunction with ferrous ion (198). The rest of SBR is produced by anionic solution polymerization. The density of unvulcanized SBR is 0.933 (199). The T ranges from —59" C to —64 C (199). 

Hydroxy-4-methylthiobutyric acid [583-91 -5] the hydroxy analogue of the amino acid methionine, is manufactured by acid hydrolysis of 3-methylthiopropionaldehyde cyanohydrin [17773-41-0] which is produced by the reaction of methyl mercaptan with acrolein (qv). 

Nonionic Surface-Active Agents. Approximately 14% of the ethyleae oxide consumed ia the United States is used in the manufacture of nonionic surfactants. These are derived by addition of ethylene oxide to fatty alcohols, alkylphenols (qv), tall oil, alkyl mercaptans, and various polyols such as poly(propylene glycol), sorbitol, mannitol, and cellulose. They are used in household detergent formulations, industrial surfactant appHcations, in emulsion polymeri2ation, textiles, paper manufacturing and recycling, and for many other appHcations (281). 

Paint and varnish manufacturing Resin manufacturing closed reaction vessel Varnish cooldng-open or closed vessels Solvent thinning Acrolein, other aldehydes and fatty acids (odors), phthalic anhydride (sublimed) Ketones, fatty acids, formic acids, acetic acid, glycerine, acrolein, other aldehydes, phenols and terpenes from tall oils, hydrogen sulfide, alkyl sulfide, butyl mercaptan, and thiofen (odors) Olefins, branched-chain aromatics and ketones (odors), solvents Exhaust systems with scrubbers and fume burners Exhaust system with scrubbers and fume burners close-fitting hoods required for open kettles Exhaust system with fume burners... 

Spent caustic solutions from petroleum refining. Petrochemical refineries use caustics to remove acidic compounds such as mercaptans from liquid petroleum streams to reduce produced odor and corrosivity as well as to meet product sulfur specifications. Spent liquid treating caustics from petroleum refineries are excluded from the definition of solid waste if they are used as a feedstock in the manufacture of napthenic and cresylic acid products. U.S. EPA believes that spent caustic, when used in this manner, is a valuable commercial feedstock in the production of these particular products, and is therefore eligible for exclusion. 

No longer used as a manufacturing process, but still used as a qualitative test for mercaptans in petroleum fractions. The presence of mercaptans is indicated by a black precipitate of lead sulfide. 

The manufacturing processes for liquefied petroleum gas are designed so that the majority, if not all, of the sulfur compounds are removed. The total snlfnr level is therefore considerably lower than for other petrolenm fuels, and a maximnm limit for sulfur content helps to define the prodnct more completely. The snlfnr compounds that are primarily responsible for corrosion are hydrogen snlfide, carbonyl sulfide, and sometimes, elemental sulfur. Hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans have distinctive unpleasant odors. 

Hydrogen sulfide in manufactured gases may range from approximately 2.30 g/m (100 gr/100 ft ) in blue and carbureted water gas to sever hundred grains in coal- and coke-oven gases. Another important sulfur impurity is carbon disulfide, which may be present in amounts varying from 0.007 to 0.07 percent by volume. Smaller amounts of carbon oj sulfide, mercaptans, and thiophene may be found. However, most of the impurities are removed during the purification process and either do not exist in the finished product or are present in only trace amounts. 

Mercaptans are important industrial compounds used in the agrochemical (thiocarbamates, phosphorothioates), pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries as well as in the manufacture of polymers. The main aspects of their industrial syntheses and uses have been reviewed by a specialist in this field [13]. 

The chloride is used to manufacture silicones, tetramethyl lead and triptane (2,2,3 trimethylbutane). Lesser uses include the manufacture of butyl rubber, higher halogenated methanes, methyl cellulose, quaternary ammonium compounds, methyl mercaptan, methionine, fungicides and pesticides (primarily the Me-arsenate herbicides). Recently the chlorinated fluorocarbons have replaced CH3CI as high volume refrigerants and propellants (ref. 32) Tables 12 and 13 list the chemical and physical properties and potential numbers of workers exposed to the monohalomethanes. 

Much of the methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide can be oxidized to dimethylsulfoxide, a useful side product that is a common polar, aprotic solvent in the chemical industry. This is in fact the primary method of its manufacture, as a kraft by-product. Caution must be used when handling it because of its extremely high rate of skin penetration. 

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