Routing efficiency

Automating the conceptual design of chemical processes offers significant benefits, such as quick evaluation of many alternative chemical production routes efficient development of economic, operable, and safe processes intelligent documentation of the design process and its rationale, as well as invaluable accumulation of past experience and easy verification and modification of past designs. 

Primary phosphines are unpleasant and toxic reagents. They can be prepared from phosphonous halides, RPCI2, using LiAlILt. As is the case for secondary phosphines, easy access to pure phosphonous halides are required to make this route efficient. It has been found that compound 28 can be reduced to primary phosphine 29 using a mixture of UAIH4 and Me3SiCl (Scheme 13).31 This procedure appears useful, as phosphinates of type RP(0)(0Et)2 are often robust compounds that can be prepared in a number of ways. (e.g. Michaelis-Arbusov reaction, palladium-catalysed coupling of diethyl phosphite with aryl bromides, etc.)... 

The hierarchical structure might mean a simple (birt of course highly segmented euid in this respect very complex) tree-Mke topology. However, as already mentioned, for the purpose of reliability and routing efficiency, cross-cormections (redimdant routes) are also established within the infrastructure. Obviously, the cUfficulty of haudfiug the traffic is iu relatiou with the complexity of the uetwork structure, but this is the price for satisfactory global uetwork operation. 

The ester and catalj st are usually employed in equimoleciilar amounts. With R =CjHs (phenyl propionate), the products are o- and p-propiophenol with R = CH3 (phenyl acetate), o- and p-hydroxyacetophenone are formed. The nature of the product is influenced by the structure of the ester, by the temperature, the solvent and the amount of aluminium chloride used generally, low reaction temperatures favour the formation of p-hydroxy ketones. It is usually possible to separate the two hydroxy ketones by fractional distillation under diminished pressure through an efficient fractionating column or by steam distillation the ortho compounds, being chelated, are more volatile in steam It may be mentioned that Clemmensen reduction (compare Section IV,6) of the hj droxy ketones affords an excellent route to the substituted phenols. 

Structural drawings of carbohydrates of this type are called Haworth formulas, after the British chemist Sir Walter Norman Haworth (St Andrew s University and the University of Birmingham) Early m his career Haworth contributed to the discovery that carbohydrates exist as cyclic hemiacetals rather than m open chain forms Later he col laborated on an efficient synthesis of vitamin C from carbohydrate precursors This was the first chemical synthesis of a vitamin and provided an inexpensive route to its prepa ration on a commercial scale Haworth was a corecipient of the Nobel Prize for chem istry m 1937... 

Hydrocortisone and Prednisolone. Following the discovery of the antiinflammatory actions of cortisone (1) and cortisol (2), there was a need not only to develop highly efficient routes to the corticoids, but to discover novel stmctures with fewer side effects than those of the corticoids, eg, sodium and water retention, reduced carbohydrate tolerance (steroid diabetes), osteoporosis, and depressed host defense. 

Acetaldehyde oxidation to anhydride does not consume great amounts of energy. The strongly exothermic reaction actually furnishes energy and the process is widely used in Europe. Acetaldehyde must be prepared from either acetylene or ethylene. Unfortunately, use of these raw materials cancels the other advantages of this route. Further development of more efficient acetaldehyde oxidation as weU as less expensive materials of constmction would make that process more favorable. 

A survey of nonelectrolytic routes for CI2 production was conducted by Argonne National Laboratory the economics of these processes were examined in detail (76). One route identified as energy efficient and economically attractive is the conversion of waste NH Cl to CI2. 

The lime—soda process is practiced mainly in isolated areas in some process operations, in the Kraft recovery process, and in the production of alurnina. It is not as efficient a route as electrolytic production. 

A more efficient route is based on use of 2iac vapor. Ziac vapor is absorbed ia molten lead to form a 20—30% solutioa, which is coatacted with steam at 300—500°C and 10—20 MPa (100—200 atm). The H2 product is withdrawn, and the ZnO removed from the lead is reduced and recycled (180). 

Future Methanol Processes. The process route for methanol synthesis has remained basically unchanged since its inception by BASF in 1923. The principal developments have been in catalyst formulation to increase productivity and selectivity, and in process plant integration to improve output and energy efficiency while decreasing capital cost. 

Based on the Monte Carlo simulations, it is seen that the presence of positional disorder causes the mobiUty to decrease with increasing field at low fields (37). This is the case because the introduction of positional disorder into the system provides the carrier with energetically more favorable routes, which occasionally are against the field direction. These detour routes are most efficient at low fields, but are eliminated at high fields. This rationalizes the decrease of hole mobilities with increasing field. 

Since this original synthesis, a great number of improvements (191—201) have been made in the stereoselective preparation and derivatization of the CO-chain precursor, in cuprate reagent composition and preparation, in protecting group utilization, and in the preparation and resolution of hydroxycyclopentenones. Illustration of some of the many improvements are seen in a synthesis (202) of enisoprost, a PGE analogue. The improvements consist of a much more efficient route to the enone as well as modifications in the cuprate reactions. Preparation of the racemic enone is as follows ... 

Comparison of Base Soap Manufacturing Routes. Direct saponification of fats and oils is well known, characteri2ed, and straightforward requires Httle equipment and is relatively energy-efficient. However, it is not very effective with regard to changes in the fats and oils ratio desired for finished soap bar formulations. Furthermore, direct saponification has the drawbacks of lower glycerol yields, limited flexibiUty toward... 

The dkect high temperature chlorination of propylene continues to be the primary route for the commercial production of aHyl chloride. The reaction results in aHyl chloride selectivities of 75—80% from propylene and about 75% from chlorine. Additionally, a significant by-product of this reaction, 1,3-dichloropropene, finds commercial use as an effective nematocide when used in soil fumigation. Overall efficiency of propylene and chlorine use thus is significantly increased. Remaining by-products include 1,2-dichloropropane, 2-chloropropene, and 2-chloropropane. 

The outstanding chemical property of cyanohydrins is the ready conversion to a-hydroxy acids and derivatives, especially a-amino and a,P-unsaturated acids. Because cyanohydrins are primarily used as chemical intermediates, data on production and prices are not usually pubUshed. The industrial significance of cyanohydrins is waning as more direct and efficient routes to the desired products are developed. Acetone cyanohydrin is the world s most prominent industrial cyanohydrin because it offers the main route to methyl methacrylate manufacture. 

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