2-phenylethanol from styrene oxide

After epoxidation, propylene oxide, excess propylene, and propane are distilled overhead. Propane is purged from the process propylene is recycled to the epoxidation reactor. The bottoms Hquid is treated with a base, such as sodium hydroxide, to neutralize the acids. Acids in this stream cause dehydration of the 1-phenylethanol to styrene. The styrene readily polymerizes under these conditions (177—179). Neutralization, along with water washing, allows phase separation such that the salts and molybdenum catalyst remain in the aqueous phase (179). Dissolved organics in the aqueous phase ate further recovered by treatment with sulfuric acid and phase separation. The organic phase is then distilled to recover 1-phenylethanol overhead. The heavy bottoms are burned for fuel (180,181). 

In a comparison of the rates of acid-catalyzed racemization of and lsO exchange in chiral 1-phenylethanol, it was concluded that the departing -OH2 group shields that side of the benzyl carbocation from attack by other solvent molecules.26 The lifetime of the /i-phenylethyl carbocation, which should be similar to that of the fl-hydroxy benzylic carbocation formed in the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of styrene oxide 32, is therefore too short to allow complete solvent equilibration about the carbocation. 

In the peroxidation reactor ethylbenzene is converted with air at 146 °C and 2 bar to form a 12-14 wt% solution of ethylbenzene hydroperoxide in ethylbenzene. The reaction takes place in the liquid phase and conversion is limited to 10% for safety reasons. The reactor is a bubble tray reactor with nine separate reaction zones. To avoid decomposition of the formed peroxide the temperature is reduced from 146 °C to 132 °C over the trays. In the epoxidation reactor the reaction solution is mixed with a homogeneous molybdenum naphthenate catalyst. Epoxidation of propylene in the liquid phase is carried out at 100-130 °C and 1-35 bar. The crude product stream (containing PO, unreacted propylene, a-phenylethanol, acetophenone, and other impurities) is sent to the recycle column to remove propylene. The catalyst can be removed by an aqueous alkali wash and phase separation. The crude PO, obtained as head stream in the crude PO column, is purified by distillations. The unconverted reactant ethylbenzene can be recycled in the second recycle column. The bottom stream containing a-phenylethanol is sent to the dehydration reactor. The vapor-phase dehydration of a-phenylethanol to styrene takes place over a titanium/alumina oxide catalyst at 200-280 °C and 0.35 bar (conversion 85%, selectivity 95%). 

Use of ferrocenylmonophosphine (fU-(A)-PPFA 5a for the same reaction improved the enantioselectivity.24,25,26 Here, the hydrosilylation product was oxidized into ( y)-l-phenylethanol 3 with 52% ee (entry 3). The ferrocenylmonophosphine 6 supported on Merrifield polystyrene resin has been also used for the hydrosilylation of styrene, though the enantioselectivity was lower (15% ee) (entry 4).27 Several chiral (/ -/V-sulfonylaminoalkyl)phosphines 7 were prepared from (A)-valinol and used for the asymmetric hydrosilylation of styrene.28 For styrene, phosphine 7a which contains methanesulfonyl group was most effective giving (asymmetric hydrosilylation (entries 6-9).29,29a... 

Thus the homologation reaction can be used, for example, for the synthesis of acetaldehyde from methanol [48], propionic acid from acetic acid [47], or ethyl acetate from methyl acetate [50]. Styrene may be produced from toluene by oxidation to benzyl alcohol [51] and homologation to 2-phenylethanol, which in turn can be dehydrated to styrene. From the chemical point of view, the applications of homologation reactions are broad and useful. But, as mentioned before, low selec-... 

The first step is oxidation of EB to form EB hydroperoxide. The oxidation is carried out in the liquid phase with a target EB conversion of approximately 13%. Although higher conversions are attractive from an EB recovery and recycle standpoint, there is a significant disadvantage because the EB hydroperoxide selectivity declines sharply. The second step is epoxidation of propylene to form propylene oxide product and 1-phenylethanol. In the last step, the 1-phenylethanol is dehydrated to styrene and water. The dehydrated reaction mixture is typically stripped of light components and rerun in a styrene column to remove heavy by-products, resulting in a purified styrene product. 

It is extremely difficult to purify this by-product 2-phenylethanol to the odour quality of that produced by either of the above routes. However, most of the companies, such as ARCO in the USA and Sumitomo in Japan, who run the SMPO process can produce 2-phenylethanol of a quality which can be used in perfumery (often in collaboration with a perfumery company). The amount of 2-phenylethanol available from this route is dictated by the demand for styrene and propylene oxide, the market value is dictated largely by material from the other two routes and all three run in economic balance. 

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