Vapor Phase Routes

These routes rely on vapor phase preparation of catalysts by deposition of metal precursors onto carbon or by direct formation of the catalyst in the vapor phase. Direct vapor deposition of volatile molecular precursors such as acetylacetonate complexes onto carbon has been demonstrated by Sivakumar and Tricoli for PtRu and PtRuIr.  

Spray pyrolysis routes have been extensively investigated to prepare Pt-based catalysts. Typically, a liquid feed of metal precursor and carbon is atomized into an aerosol and fed into a continuous furnace to evaporate and heat-treat to form a collectable powder. The method has good control over final aggregate particle size and metal particle size distributions, as well as producing powder without further isolation or separation. Hampton-Smith et al. have reviewed efforts of Superior MicroPowder (now Cabot Fuel Cells) in this area.  

Direct metal deposition from metallic sources has been extensively used for model catalyst deposition for high-throughput and combinatorial studies. However, these methods are also increasingly used to deposit practical electrocatalyst materials. The best known approach is the one developed by 3M researchers have used physical vapor deposition to deposit Pt and Ft alloys onto nanostructured (NS) films composed of perylene red whiskers. The approach has been recently been reviewed by Debe.  

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Polycrystalline ZnSe nanoparticles were synthesized from Me2Zn NEts and H2Se gas diluted in H2 [120] using a flexible vapor-phase technique [121]. In a counter-flow jet reactor (CJR) the vapors of Me2Zn NEts and H2Se react to form nanoparticles of ZnSe. This method provides a direct vapor-phase route for nanoparticles preparation. 

The base-catalyzed reaction of acetaldehyde with excess formaldehyde [50-00-0] is the commercial route to pentaerythritol [115-77-5]. The aldol condensation of three moles of formaldehyde with one mole of acetaldehyde is foUowed by a crossed Cannizzaro reaction between pentaerythrose, the intermediate product, and formaldehyde to give pentaerythritol (57). The process proceeds to completion without isolation of the intermediate. Pentaerythrose [3818-32-4] has also been made by condensing acetaldehyde and formaldehyde at 45°C using magnesium oxide as a catalyst (58). The vapor-phase reaction of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde at 475°C over a catalyst composed of lanthanum oxide on siHca gel gives acrolein [107-02-8] (59). 

Acetylation of acetaldehyde to ethyUdene diacetate [542-10-9], a precursor of vinyl acetate, has long been known (7), but the condensation of formaldehyde [50-00-0] and acetic acid vapors to furnish acryflc acid [97-10-7] is more recent (30). These reactions consume relatively more energy than other routes for manufacturing vinyl acetate or acryflc acid, and thus are not likely to be further developed. Vapor-phase methanol—methyl acetate oxidation using simultaneous condensation to yield methyl acrylate is still being developed (28). A vanadium—titania phosphate catalyst is employed in that process. 

Liquid- and vapor-phase processes have been described the latter appear to be advantageous. Supported cadmium, zinc, or mercury salts are used as catalysts. In 1963 it was estimated that 85% of U.S. vinyl acetate capacity was based on acetylene, but it has been completely replaced since about 1982 by newer technology using oxidative addition of acetic acid to ethylene (2) (see Vinyl polymers). In western Europe production of vinyl acetate from acetylene stiU remains a significant commercial route. 

The Reaction. Acrolein has been produced commercially since 1938. The first commercial processes were based on the vapor-phase condensation of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde (1). In the 1940s a series of catalyst developments based on cuprous oxide and cupric selenites led to a vapor-phase propylene oxidation route to acrolein (7,8). In 1959 Shell was the first to commercialize this propylene oxidation to acrolein process. These early propylene oxidation catalysts were capable of only low per pass propylene conversions (ca 15%) and therefore required significant recycle of unreacted propylene (9—11). 

Acrylonitrile Route. This process, based on the hydrolysis of acrylonitrile (79), is also a propylene route since acrylonitrile (qv) is produced by the catalytic vapor-phase ammoxidation of propylene. 

Dehydrogenation of Propionates. Oxidative dehydrogenation of propionates to acrylates employing vapor-phase reactions at high temperatures (400—700°C) and short contact times is possible. Although selective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutyric acid to methacrylic acid have been developed in recent years (see Methacrylic ACID AND DERIVATIVES) and a route to methacrylic acid from propylene to isobutyric acid is under pilot-plant development in Europe, this route to acrylates is not presentiy of commercial interest because of the combination of low selectivity, high raw material costs, and purification difficulties. 

Liquid-Phase Oxidation of Acrolein. As discussed before, the most attractive process for the manufacture of acrylates is based on the two-stage, vapor-phase oxidation of propylene. The second stage involves the oxidation of acrolein. Considerable art on the Hquid-phase oxidation of acrolein (17) is available, but this route caimot compete with the vapor-phase technology. 

The one-step route from 2-propanol coproduces diisobutyl ketone and acetone, and is practiced in the United States by Union Carbide (61). The details of a vapor-phase 2-propanol dehydrogenation and condensation process for the production of acetone, MIBK, and higher ketones have been described in recent patents (62,63). The process converts an a2eotropic 2-propanol—water feed over a copper-based catalyst at 220°C and produces a product mixture containing 2-propanol (11.4%), acetone (52.4%), MIBK (21.6%), diisobutyl ketone (6.5%), and 4-methyl-2-pentanol (2.2%). 

Oxidation. Naphthalene may be oxidized direcdy to 1-naphthalenol (1-naphthol [90-15-3]) and 1,4-naphthoquinone, but yields are not good. Further oxidation beyond 1,4-naphthoquinone [130-15-4] results in the formation of ortho- h. h5 ic acid [88-99-3], which can be dehydrated to form phthaUc anhydride [85-44-9]. The vapor-phase reaction of naphthalene over a catalyst based on vanadium pentoxide is the commercial route used throughout the world. In the United States, the one phthaUc anhydride plant currently operating on naphthalene feedstock utilizes a fixed catalyst bed. The fiuid-bed process plants have all been shut down, and the preferred route used in the world is the fixed-bed process. 

Vapor-phase catalytic oxidation of dutene is a mote direct route to the dianhydtide. Hbls in Europe apparently uses this route, which eliminates the need for a separate dehydration step and for handling of any oxidants or solvents. Continuous operation is faciHtated, corrosion is minimized, and product recovery is simplified. The vapor-phase oxidation of dutene is similar to that of o-xylene to phthaHc anhydtide, and phthaHc anhydtide units can be... 

Styrene. Commercial manufacture of this commodity monomer depends on ethylbenzene, which is converted by several means to a low purity styrene, subsequendy distilled to the pure form. A small percentage of styrene is made from the oxidative process, whereby ethylbenzene is oxidized to a hydroperoxide or alcohol and then dehydrated to styrene. A popular commercial route has been the alkylation of benzene to ethylbenzene, with ethylene, after which the cmde ethylbenzene is distilled to give high purity ethylbenzene. The ethylbenzene is direcdy dehydrogenated to styrene monomer in the vapor phase with steam and appropriate catalysts. Most styrene is manufactured by variations of this process. A variety of catalyst systems are used, based on ferric oxide with other components, including potassium salts, which improve the catalytic activity (10). 

Rigorous hydrogenating conditions, particularly with Raney Nickel, remove the sulfur atom of thiophenes. With vapor-phase catalysis, hydrodesulfurization is the technique used to remove sulfur materials from cmde oil. Chemically hydrodesulfurization can be a valuable route to alkanes otherwise difficult to access. 

In recent years alkylations have been accompHshed with acidic zeoHte catalysts, most nobably ZSM-5. A ZSM-5 ethylbenzene process was commercialized joiatiy by Mobil Co. and Badger America ia 1976 (24). The vapor-phase reaction occurs at temperatures above 370°C over a fixed bed of catalyst at 1.4—2.8 MPa (200—400 psi) with high ethylene space velocities. A typical molar ethylene to benzene ratio is about 1—1.2. The conversion to ethylbenzene is quantitative. The principal advantages of zeoHte-based routes are easy recovery of products, elimination of corrosive or environmentally unacceptable by-products, high product yields and selectivities, and high process heat recovery (25,26). 

Dutch State Mines (Stamicarbon). Vapor-phase, catalytic hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone over palladium on alumina, Hcensed by Stamicarbon, the engineering subsidiary of DSM, gives a 95% yield at high conversion plus an additional 3% by dehydrogenation of coproduct cyclohexanol over a copper catalyst. Cyclohexane oxidation, an alternative route to cyclohexanone, is used in the United States and in Asia by DSM. A cyclohexane vapor-cloud explosion occurred in 1975 at a co-owned DSM plant in Flixborough, UK (12) the plant was rebuilt but later closed. In addition to the conventional Raschig process for hydroxylamine, DSM has developed a hydroxylamine phosphate—oxime (HPO) process for cyclohexanone oxime no by-product ammonium sulfate is produced. Catalytic ammonia oxidation is followed by absorption of NO in a buffered aqueous phosphoric acid... 

Powder Preparation. There are several routes to preparing SiC powders having variable purity levels, crystal stmcture, particle size, shape, and distribution. Methods that have been examined include growth by sublimation from the vapor phase, carbothermic reduction, and crystallization from a melt. 

Other routes to 1,1,2-trichloroethane are chlorination of acetylene in the presence of HCl (101) and chlorination of vinyl chloride at room temperatures with FeCl (102—104), hydrochlorination of cis- and /n j -l,2-dichloroethylene with FeCl catalyst (105), vapor-phase oxychlorination of... 

Vapor-phase oxidation of cyclohexane is commercially feasible, but the preferred route is Hquid-phase cyclohexane oxidation (2). In the latter... 

Ethylene. Where ethylene is ia short supply and fermentation ethanol is made economically feasible, such as ia India and Bra2il, ethylene is manufactured by the vapor-phase dehydration of ethanol. The production of ethylene [74-85-1] from ethanol usiag naturally renewable resources is an active and useful alternative to the pyrolysis process based on nonrenewable petroleum. This route may make ethanol a significant raw material source for produciag other chemicals. 

Although antimony pentafluonde can fluorinate l,l,2-tnchloro-l,2,2-trifluo-roethane to chloropentafluoroethane, this route is not used industnally because antimony pentafluonde and hydrogen fluoride are too corrosive. Both dichloro-tetrafluoroethane and chloropentafluoroethane are produced by vapor-phase fluor-ination of tetrachloroethene with proprietary chromia catalysts at 300 to 500 °C (equation 1). 

Eichler, T. V., andH. S. Napadensky. 1977. Accidental vapor phase explosions on transportation routes near nuclear power plants. IIT Research Institute final report no. J6405. Chicago, Illinois. 

Using two synthetic routes—i.e., interaction of iron with pyrrole in the vapor phase and reaction of ferrous chloride with sodium pyrrolate—ECj (pyrrolate)y was... 

Older processes still use the sulfation route. The process is similar to that used for ethylene in the presence of H2SO4, hut the selectivity is a little lower than the modern vapor-phase processes. The reaction conditions are milder than those used for ethylene. This manifests the greater ease with which an isopropyl carhocation (a secondary carhonium ion) is formed than a primary ethyl carhonium ion ... 

A much explored pathway to simple silenes involves the thermolysis of silacyclobutanes at 400-700°C, the original Gusel nikov-Flowers (155) route. Such temperatures are not readily conducive to the isolation and study of reactive species such as silenes except under special conditions, and flash thermolysis, or low pressure thermolysis, coupled with use of liquid nitrogen or argon traps has frequently been employed if study of the physical properties is desired. Under these high temperature conditions rearrangements of simple silenes to the isomeric silylenes have been observed which can lead to complications in the interpretation of results (53,65). Occasionally phenyl-substituted silacyclobutanes have been photolyzed at 254 nm to yield silenes (113) as has dimethylsilacyclobutane in the vapor phase (147 nm) (162). 

Figure 9—2 shows the plant with its three reactors. The pyrolysis furnace is in the middle. At the top of the figure, the basic feeds, to the plant are shown—ethylene, chlorine, and oxygen. Ethylene and chlorine alone are sufficient to make EDC via the route on the left. The operation, call it Reaction One like Figure 9-1 does, takes place in the vapor phase in a reactor with a fixed catalyst bed of ferric (iron) chloride at only 100—125°F. A cleanup column fractionates out the small amount of by-products that get formed, leaving an EDC stream of 96—98% purity. 

There are several other routes to acetone of minor importance air oxidation of IPA reaction between IPAand acrolein for the production of allyl alcohol, with acetone as the by-product vapor phase oxidation of butane coproduction when IPA is oxidized yielding acetone and H2O2, hydrogen peroxide, the principal ingredient of bleach and by-product production from the manufacture of methyl ethyl ketone. 

In the 1960s, like almost all acetylene technology, the HCN/C2H2 route to acrylonitrile gave way to ammoxidation of, propylene. Thar word, ammoxidation, looks suspiciously like the contraction of two more familiar terms, ammonia and oxidation, and it is. When Standard of Ohio (Sohio) was still a company they developed a one-step vapor phase catalytic reaction of propylene with ammonia and air to give acrylonitrile. 

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