Vapor-phase hydroformylation

Industrial problems have, in some instances, been solved either by a proper choice of construction materials and suitable process design or by development of heterogeneous catalytic systems using supported complexes or by generating active complexes in situ on a support material which avoid some of the problems of liquid-phase operation. For example, a number of the problems in liquid-phase vinyl acetate processing have been overcome by development of supported Pd catalysts (106). Vapor-phase hydroformylation has been carried out on supported rhodium complexes (107). 

Propanol has been manufactured by hydroformylation of ethylene (qv) (see Oxo process) followed by hydrogenation of propionaldehyde or propanal and as a by-product of vapor-phase oxidation of propane (see Hydrocarbon oxidation). Celanese operated the only commercial vapor-phase oxidation faciUty at Bishop, Texas. Since this faciUty was shut down ia 1973 (5,6), hydroformylation or 0x0 technology has been the principal process for commercial manufacture of 1-propanol ia the United States and Europe. Sasol ia South Africa makes 1-propanol by Fischer-Tropsch chemistry (7). Some attempts have been made to hydrate propylene ia an anti-Markovnikoff fashion to produce 1-propanol (8—10). However, these attempts have not been commercially successful. 

The hydroformylation of alkenes is commonly run using soluble metal carbonyl complexes as catalysts but there are some reports of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions of olefins with hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Almost all of these are vapor phase reactions of ethylene or propylene with hydrogen and carbon monoxide catalyzed by rhodium, " 20 ruthenium,nickel, 22,123 cobalt, 23,124 and cobalt-molybdenum 23 catalysts as well as various sulfided metal catalysts. 23,125,126... 

Figure 1 Flowsheet of the RCH/RP hydroformylation process 38 1 Continuous flow stirred tank reactor,424 2 Phase separator, 3 Stripping column, 4 Distillation column, 5 Heat exchanger, 6 Falling film evaporator, 7 Liquid vapor separator.

Liquid injection molding, for silicone rubbers, 3, 674—675 Liquid ligands, in metal vapor synthesis, 1, 229 Liquid-phase catalysis, supported, for green olefin hydroformylation, 12, 855 Lithiacarbaboranes, preparation, 3, 114 Lithiation, arene chromium tricarbonyls, 5, 236 Lithium aluminum amides, reactions, 3, 282 Lithium aluminum hydride, for alcohol reductions, 3, 279 Lithium borohydride, in hydroborations, 9, 158 Lithium gallium hydride, in reduction reactions, 9, 738 Lithium indium hydride, in carbonyl reductions, 9, 713—714... 

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