Of ferric chloride

A fiowsheet for this part of the vinyl chloride process is shown in Fig. 10.5. The reactants, ethylene and chlorine, dissolve in circulating liquid dichloroethane and react in solution to form more dichloroethane. Temperature is maintained between 45 and 65°C, and a small amount of ferric chloride is present to catalyze the reaction. The reaction generates considerable heat. 

Anhydrous cupric sulphate is white but forms a blue hydrate and a blue aqueous solution. The solution turns yellow when treated with concentrated hydrochloric acid, dark blue with ammonia, and gives a white precipitate and brown solution when treated with potassium iodide. A yellow-brown aqueous solution of ferric chloride becomes paler on acidification with sulphuric or nitric... 

Reactions of Aspirin, (i) Distinction from Salicylic acid. Shake up with water in two clean test-tubes a few crystals of a) salicylic acid, (0) aspirin, a very dilute aqueous solution of each substance being thus obtained. Note that the addition of i drop of ferric chloride solution to (a) gives an immediate purple coloration, due to the free —OH group, whereas (b) gives no coloration if the aspirin is pure. 

Dissolve a small portion of the sodium derivative in a few mi. of water in a test-tube, and add one drop of ferric chloride solution. A deep red coloration is produced, but rapidly disappears as the iron is precipitated as ferric hydroxide. The sodium (derivative (A) of the nitromethane wh dissolved in water undergoes partial hydrolysis,... 

Add about 0 2 g. of ferrous sulphate crystals to the first portion of the filtrate contained in a boiling-tube. An immediate dark greenish-grey precipitate of ferrous hydroxide should occur if the mixture remains clear, add a few ml. of sodium hydroxide solution. Now boil the mixture gently for a few minutes to ensure formation of the ferrocyanide, cool under the tap, add one drop of ferric chloride solution, and then acidify... 

Colorations or coloured precipitates are frequently given by the reaction of ferric chloride solution with.(i) solutions of neutral salts of acids, (ii) phenols and many of their derivatives, (iii) a few amines. If a free acid is under investigation it must first be neutralised as follows Place about 01 g. of the acid in a boiling-tube and add a slight excess of ammonia solution, i,e., until the solution is just alkaline to litmus-paper. Add a piece of unglazed porcelain and boil until the odour of ammonia is completely removed, and then cool. To the solution so obtained add a few drops of the "neutralised ferric chloride solution. Perform this test with the following acids and note the result ... 

Take two test-tubes A and B in A place about 5 ml. of neutralised tartaric acid solution and in B place 5 ml. of distilled water. To each solution add 3-4 drops of ferric chloride solution. Place a piece of white paper under the tubes, look down their length and note that A is definitely yellow compared with the control tube B. This yellow colour is given by a-hydroxy-carboxylic-acids, lactic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid. 

Dissolve 2 3 drops of o toluidine in a few drops of dil. HCl and add 2 3 drops of ferric chloride solution a green coloration is produced and is slowly replaced by a bluish-green or blue precipitate. 

Hydroxamic acid formation cf. Section 9, p. 334). To a few drops of an ester, add 0 2 g. of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and about 5 ml. of 10% NaOH solution and gently boil the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Cool and acidify with dil. HCl and then add a few drops of ferric chloride solution. A violet or deep red-brown colour develops immediately. 

It may be noted that primary aliphatic amides are readily converted by hydro-xylamlne hydrochloride into hydroxamic acids, which may be detected by the addition of ferric chloride solution ... 

Ferric chloride test. Dissolve 1 drop or 0 05 g. of the compound in 5 ml. of water and add 1 drop of ferric chloride solution observe the colour produced. If the result is negative in aqueous solution, repeat the test in alcoholic solution. 

Other acetyl chloride preparations include the reaction of acetic acid and chlorinated ethylenes in the presence of ferric chloride [7705-08-0] (29) a combination of ben2yl chloride [100-44-7] and acetic acid at 85% yield (30) conversion of ethyUdene dichloride, in 91% yield (31) and decomposition of ethyl acetate [141-78-6] by the action of phosgene [75-44-5] producing also ethyl chloride [75-00-3] (32). The expense of raw material and capital cost of plant probably make this last route prohibitive. Chlorination of acetic acid to monochloroacetic acid [79-11-8] also generates acetyl chloride as a by-product (33). Because acetyl chloride is cosdy to recover, it is usually recycled to be converted into monochloroacetic acid. A salvage method in which the mixture of HCl and acetyl chloride is scmbbed with H2SO4 to form acetyl sulfate has been patented (33). 

Although lead chloride is moderately soluble in the acid, lead is also used occasionaUy in hydrochloric acid service. Addition of 6—25% Sb increases the corrosion resistance. AH and ferric chloride accelerate the corrosion. Durichlor (14.5% Si, 3% Mo, 82% Fe), a sUica-based aUoy, shows exceUent resistance to hot hydrochloric acid in the absence of ferric chloride. 

Benzene Chlorination. In this process, benzene is chlorinated at 38—60°C in the presence of ferric chloride catalyst. The chlorobenzene is hydrolyzed with caustic soda at 400°C and 2.56 kPa (260 atm) to form sodium phenate. The impure sodium phenate reacts with hydrochloric acid to release the phenol from the sodium salt. The yield of phenol is about 82 mol % to that of the theoretical value based on benzene. Plants employing this technology have been shut down for environmental and economic reasons. 

Ma.nufa.cture. Sulfur monochloride is made commercially by direct chlorination of sulfur, usually in a heel of sulfur chloride from a previous batch. The chlorination appears to proceed stepwise through higher sulfur chlorides (S Cl2, where x > 2). If conducted too quickly, the chlorination may yield products containing SCI2 and S Cl2 as well as S2CI2. A catalyst, eg, iron, iodine, or a trace of ferric chloride, faciUtates the reaction. The manufacture in the absence of Fe and Fe salts at 32—100°C has also been reported (149—151). 

Idemitsu Kosan Company is also developing technology to recover both hydrogen and sulfur. An aqueous solution of ferric chloride is used to... 

Analytical and Test Methods. An aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate forms a white precipitate with hydrochloric acid and evolves sulfur dioxide gas which is detected by its characteristic odor. The white precipitate turns yellow, iadicatiug the presence of sulfur. The addition of ferric chloride to sodium thiosulfate solutions produces a dark violet color which quickly disappears. 

Reduction of vanillin by means of platinum black in the presence of ferric chloride gives vanillin alcohol in excellent yields. In 1875, Tiemann reported the reduction of vanillin to vanillin alcohol by using sodium amalgam in water. The yields were poor, however, and there were a number of by-products. High yields of vanillin alcohol have been obtained by electrolytic reduction. 

Identification. When a solution of ferric chloride is added to a cold, saturated vanillin solution, a blue color appears that changes to brown upon warming to 20°C for a few minutes. On cooling, a white to off-white precipitate (dehydrodivanillin) of silky needles is formed. Vanillin can also be identified by the white to slightly yellow precipitate formed by the addition of lead acetate to a cold aqueous solution of vanillin. 

Addition Chlorination. Chlorination of olefins such as ethylene, by the addition of chlorine, is a commercially important process and can be carried out either as a catalytic vapor- or Hquid-phase process (16). The reaction is influenced by light, the walls of the reactor vessel, and inhibitors such as oxygen, and proceeds by a radical-chain mechanism. Ionic addition mechanisms can be maximized and accelerated by the use of a Lewis acid such as ferric chloride, aluminum chloride, antimony pentachloride, or cupric chloride. A typical commercial process for the preparation of 1,2-dichloroethane is the chlorination of ethylene at 40—50°C in the presence of ferric chloride (17). The introduction of 5% air to the chlorine feed prevents unwanted substitution chlorination of the 1,2-dichloroethane to generate by-product l,l,2-trichloroethane. The addition of chlorine to tetrachloroethylene using photochemical conditions has been investigated (18). This chlorination, which is strongly inhibited by oxygen, probably proceeds by a radical-chain mechanism as shown in equations 9—13. 

Thermal Cracking. Thermal chlorination of ethylene yields the two isomers of tetrachloroethane, 1,1,1,2 and 1,1,2,2. Introduction of these tetrachloroethane derivatives into a tubular-type furnace at temperatures of 425—455°C gives good yields of trichloroethylene (33). In the cracking of the tetrachloroethane stream, introduction of ferric chloride into the 460°C vapor-phase reaction zone improves the yield of trichloroethylene product. 

Dichloroethane is produced by the vapor- (28) or Hquid-phase chlorination of ethylene. Most Hquid-phase processes use small amounts of ferric chloride as the catalyst. Other catalysts claimed in the patent Hterature include aluminum chloride, antimony pentachloride, and cupric chloride and an ammonium, alkaU, or alkaline-earth tetrachloroferrate (29). The chlorination is carried out at 40—50°C with 5% air or other free-radical inhibitors (30) added to prevent substitution chlorination of the product. Selectivities under these conditions are nearly stoichiometric to the desired product. The exothermic heat of reaction vapori2es the 1,2-dichloroethane product, which is purified by distillation. 

Pyrolysis Thermal decomposition of 1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane produces tetrachloroethylene (by disproportionation), hydrogen chloride, and trichloroethylene via dehydrochlorination (111). The yield of the latter is increased in the presence of ferric chloride (112). Other catalytic materials include FeCl —KCl mixture (113), AlCl (6), the complex of AlCl with nitrobenzene (114), activated alumina (3), Ca(OH)2 (115,116), and NaCl (94). 

Hexachloroethane is formed in minor amounts in many industrial chlorination processes designed to produce lower chlorinated hydrocarbons, usually via a sequential chlorination step. Chlorination of tetrachloroethylene, in the presence of ferric chloride, at 100—140°C is one convenient method of preparing hexachloroethane (142). Oxychlorination of tetrachloroethylene, using a copper chloride catalyst (143) has also been used. Photochemical chlorination of tetrachloroethylene under pressure and below 60°C has been studied (144) and patented as a method of producing hexachloroethane (145), as has recovery of hexachloroethane from a mixture of other perchlorinated hydrocarbon derivatives via crystalH2ation in carbon tetrachloride. Chlorination of hexachlorobutadiene has also been used to produce hexachloroethane (146). 

Benzal chloride is hydrolyzed to benzaldehyde under both acid and alkaline conditions. Typical conditions include reaction with steam in the presence of ferric chloride or a zinc phosphate catalyst (22) and reaction at 100°C with water containing an organic amine (23). Cinnamic acid in low yield is formed by heating benzal chloride and potassium acetate with an amine as catalyst (24). 

In all cases so far investigated, including a useful direct reaction with ketones, the methoxydienyl salt is substituted at the 5-position and not at the alternative 1-position. The Fe(CO)a group can conveniently be removed from many of these adducts by the action of ferric chloride in ethanol. ... 

A) -Naphthoquinone.—For the best results this preparation must be carried out rapidly. The vessels and reagents required should be made ready in advance. The oxidizing solution is prepared by dissolving 240 g. (0.89 mole) of ferric chloride hexahydrate in a mixture of go cc. of concentrated hydrochloric acid and 200 cc. of water with heating, cooling to room temperature by the addition of 200-300 g. of ice, and filtering the solution by suction. 

The methods of preparation of ferrocene have been reviewed by Pauson and by Fischer. Ferrocene has been made by the reaction of ferric chloride with cyclopentadienylmagnesium bromide, by the direct thermal reaction of cyclopentadiene with iron metal, by the direct interaction of cyclopentadiene with iron carbonyl, by the reaction of ferrous chloride with cyclopentadiene in the presence of organic bases such as diethyl-amine, by the reaction of ferrous chloride with sodium cyclo-[lentadienide in liquid ammonia, and from cyclopentadiene and... 

Reactions.—Add a few drops of alcohol to the same quantity of apetic acid, and an equal volume of concentrated sulphuric acid. Warm gently and notice the fruity smell of ethyl acetate. Neutralise a few drops of acetic acid by adding e.xcess of ammonia and boiling until neutral. Let cool and add a drop of ferric chloride. The red colour of ferric acetate is produced On boiling, basic ferric acetate is precipitated. 

Reactions.—i. Add a drop of ferric chloride dissolved in alcohol to a few drops of the ester a deep violet coloration is pioducecl. 

Reaeiion.— i. Make a neutral solution by boiling with an excess of ammonia, and add to one portion, calcium chloride no precipitate is formed to another portion add a drop or two of ferric chloride a brown precipitate of ferric succinate is thrown down. Appendix, p. 261. 

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