Patents Examined by Michael L. Shippen
  • Patent number: 7122710
    Abstract: The present invention is directed towards the fluorination of polymeric C60 and towards the chemical and physical modifications of polymeric C60 that can be accomplished through fluorination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Wiiliam Marsh Rice University
    Inventors: John L. Margrave, Valery N. Khabashesku, Zhenning Gu, Valery Aleksandrovich Davydov, Aleksandra Viktorovna Rakhmanina, Lyudmile Stepanovna Kashevarova
  • Patent number: 7112702
    Abstract: A commercial scale continuous process for the production of a bisphenol comprising reacting a phenol and a ketone in the presence of a modified ion exchange resin catalyst, wherein said modified ion exchange resin comprises a crosslinked gellular acid functionalized polystyrene resin modified by neutralization of with a mercapto promoter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Brian Carvill, Katherine Glasgow, Gurram Kishan, Ramesh Krishnamurti, Nilesh Kumar Parkash Kukalyekar, G. V. Ramanarayanan
  • Patent number: 7109385
    Abstract: A process for producing a phenol product generally comprises a first step comprising reacting in a first reactor a feed stream comprising cumene hydroperoxide and water with an acid catalyst to produce an effluent comprising the phenol product, acetone, and at least 1% by weight residual cumene hydroperoxide, and a second step comprising passing the effluent into a second reactor and decomposing the residual cumene hydroperoxide, wherein during said process the ratio of phenol to acetone is maintained at a molar ratio of greater than 1:1, and wherein the water in each of the first and second steps is present in an amount more than 0 and less than or equal to 5 weight percent based on the total weight of the feed stream or effluent, and wherein the process is continuous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Prashant Anil Tatake, Pramod Shankar Kumbhar, Bharat Singh, John William Fulmer, Sabyasachi Mandal, Arun N. Kumar, Rupesh Pawar
  • Patent number: 7084133
    Abstract: A compound represented by the following general formula (I), wherein R1 represents a hydroxy-substituted alkyl group, a hydroxy-substituted alkenyl group, a hydroxy-substituted arylalkyl group (said arylalkyl group may have a substituent on the aryl ring), or a hydroxy-substituted arylalkenyl group (said arylalkenyl group may have a substituent on the aryl ring); X represents a dicarba-closo-dodecaborane-diyl group; R2 represents a hydroxy-substituted alkyl group or a hydroxy-substituted alkoxyalkyl group, or a salt thereof, which is useful as an agent exerting vitamin D actions or an agent for enhancing vitamin D actions R1—X—R2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Kagechika
  • Patent number: 7084313
    Abstract: Processes for separating supercritical or near-critical mixtures containing hydrogen, a solvent gas, methanol and a fatty alcohol under an initial pressure of from 100 to 300 bar are described, wherein the processes comprise: (a) reducing the pressure of such a mixture in a first stage to a pressure of from 50 to 150 bar to form a first recycle gas and a first partially-separated intermediate mixture, wherein the reduced pressure in the first stage is at least below the initial pressure; (b) reducing the pressure of the first partially-separated intermediate mixture in a second stage to a pressure of from 10 to 50 bar to form a second recycle gas and a second partially-separated intermediate mixture; and (c) reducing the pressure of the second partially-separated intermediate mixture in a third stage to a pressure of from 1 to 10 bar to form a third recycle gas and a fatty alcohol product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Bernhard Gutsche, Wilhelm Johannisbauer, Harald Roessler, Magnus Topphoff
  • Patent number: 7078573
    Abstract: A process for producing bisphenol A is disclosed. The process entails a) reacting phenol with acetone in the presence of an acidic catalyst to form a reaction mixture that includes bisphenol A and water, and b) removing water from the reaction mixture by distillation in a column to obtain a bottom product, and c) separating bisphenol-A/phenol adduct from the reaction mixture by crystallization and filtration. The bottom temperature of the column is 100 to 150° C., the overhead temperature of the column is 20 to 80° C., the absolute pressure is 50 to 300 mbar at the head of the column and 100 to 300 mbar at the bottom of the column, and wherein said (c) is carried out before or after said (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG
    Inventors: Rainer Neumann, Ulrich Blaschke, Stefan Westernacher
  • Patent number: 7074974
    Abstract: A process comprising fluorinating tetrachloroethylene to obtain a crude pentafluoroethane containing impurities and bringing the crude pentafluoroethane containing impurities into contact with oxygen and/or an oxygen-containing compound in the presence of a catalyst. There can be obtained high-purity pentafluoroethane which can be used as a low-temperature refrigerant or an etching gas or as a starting material for the production of high-purity hexafluoroethane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventors: Kazunari Kaga, Hiromoto Ohno, Toshio Ohi
  • Patent number: 7053251
    Abstract: A method for brominating hydroxyaromatic compounds to form products, such as p-bromophenol, is disclosed. The method uses elemental bromine as the brominating agent and comprises contacting a hydroxyaromatic compound with bromine and oxygen in the presence of metal catalyst. Suitable catalysts include elemental copper, copper compounds, and compounds of Group IV–VIII transition metals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Mills, John Yaw Ofori
  • Patent number: 7045666
    Abstract: Brominated hydroxyaromatic compounds such as p-bromophenol are prepared by contacting a hydroxyaromatic compound with oxygen and a bromine source such as hydrogen bromide or an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal bromide in an acidic medium, in the presence of elemental copper or a copper compound as catalyst. The brominated product of this reaction may be converted alternately to a dihydroxyaromatic compound such as hydroquinone by hydrolyses, or a dihydroxybiphenyl compound such as 4,4?-dihydroxybiphenyl by reductive coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Eric James Pressman, John Yaw Ofori, Grigorii Lev Soloveichik, Ryan Christopher Mills, Jonathan Lloyd Male
  • Patent number: 7045667
    Abstract: A process for producing a cycloalkanol and/or a cycloalkanone is provided, the process comprising the step of oxidizing cycloalkane with molecular oxygen in the presence of a mixture of metal oxides and/or a composite metal oxide, each containing cerium and zirconium as the metal elements therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hajime Ishida, Naoki Miura
  • Patent number: 7038093
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the preparation of phenol comprising the following phases: 1) preparation in continuous of phenol by means of the direct oxidation of benzene with hydrogen peroxide operating with an H2O2/benzene ratio ranging from 10 to 70%, in a three-phase reaction system comprising a first liquid phase consisting of benzene and an organic solvent, a second liquid phase consisting of water, a solid phase consisting of an activated catalyst based on titanium silicalite TS-1; 2) separation of the phenol and non-reacted benzene from the reaction mixture of the oxidation section (1), by means of fractionated distillation; 3) separation of the solvent and by-products from the mixture coming from the distillation tail (2), by means of basic extraction; 4) transformation of the by-products obtain in section (3) to phenol by means of hydrodeoxygenation with hydrogen operating in continuous, in aqueous solution, at a temperature ranging from 250 to 500° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Polimeri Europa S.p.A.
    Inventors: Daniele Bianchi, Rossella Bortolo, Roberto Buzzoni, Alberto Cesana, Leonardo Dalloro, Rino D'Aloisio
  • Patent number: 7034191
    Abstract: A continuous crystallization process comprising the steps of supplying a crystallization material containing bisphenol A to a crystallizer to form crystals of an adduct of bisphenol A and phenol or crystals of bisphenol A, subjecting the slurry discharged from the crystallizer to solid/liquid separation, and recovering the crystals, wherein part of the mother liquor is circulated to the crystallizer. According to this process, the heat duty to be removed is reduced, deposition of solids on the inner surfaces of the crystallizer, particularly on the heat transferring surface of the cooler is restrained, and consequently the continuous operating time of the apparatus is prolonged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshio Koga, Hiroaki Kimura
  • Patent number: 7022886
    Abstract: A method for selectively brominating hydroxyaromatic compounds is disclosed. Hydroxyaromatic compounds are contacted with oxygen and a bromine source, in an acidic medium, in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group of compounds and mixtures of compounds of Group IV–VIII transition metals of the Periodic Table of Elements. The selectivity of mono-brominated products produced, predominantly in the para-position, from the method using transition metal compounds as catalysts is significantly higher than that of known methods using other catalysts. Thus, there is a significant reduction in the production of undesirable dibrominated and more highly brominated by-products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Grigorii Lev Soloveichik
  • Patent number: 7019180
    Abstract: A method of purifying a phenol stream that contains a concentration of a contaminating compound is provided. The phenol stream is treated or purified by contacting the stream, under suitable process conditions, with a treatment catalyst that has a low silica content but comprises alumina and a Group VIA metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventor: Larry Wayne Payne
  • Patent number: 7019181
    Abstract: A method is described for the preparation of a trimethylcyclohexyl-alkan-3-ol containing a proportion of trans isomer of Formula D where R=H, Me, Et, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl or tert-butyl and R1=Me, Et, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl or tert-butyl, or of a mixture of several such trimethylcyclohexyl-alkan-3-ols, wherein the method comprises catalytically hydrogenating corresponding compound(s) of Formula B in which R and R1 in each case have the indicated meanings, in the presence of a nickel catalyst, preferably of Raney nickel, and in an absence of catalytically active amounts of copper chromite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Symrise GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Dietmar Schatkowski, Wilhelm Pickenhagen, Hartmut Struwe, Johannes Panten, Klaus Sch{hacek over (a)}fer
  • Patent number: 7019150
    Abstract: 1-Deoxybaccatin III, 1-deoxytaxol and 1-deoxy taxol analogs and method for the preparation thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Florida State University
    Inventors: Robert A. Holton, Suhan Tang, Feng Liang, Carmen Somoza
  • Patent number: 7015365
    Abstract: A process for forming a cycloalkylidene bisphenol comprises: reacting a cycloalkanone compound of formula: where [A] is a substituted or an unsubstituted aromatic group, R1–R4 independently represent a hydrogen or a C1–C12 hydrocarbyl group; and “a” and “b” are integers independently having values from 0–3; with an aromatic hydroxy compound of formula [A]-OH, where [A] is as previously described; at a mole ratio of greater than or equal to about 20, in the presence of a sulfonic acid type ion exchange resin catalyst crosslinked with greater than or equal to about 8 weight percent of divinylbenzene, and a promoter selected from the group consisting of a mercaptan compound and a resorcinol compound; to form a cycloalkylidene bisphenol of formula: where [A], R1–R4, “a” and “b” are as previously described. Moreover, any acid catalyst can be used with a resorcinol promoter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Debjani Kapila, Ramesh Krishnamurti, Jan-Pleun Lens, Gurram Kishan, Nileshkumar Kukalyekar, Jegadeesh Thampi, Umesh Krishna Hasyagar, Vinod Kumar Rai, Ashok S. Shyadligeri, Radhakrishna Sreenivasarao Arakali, Edward J. Nesakumar, Pramod Kumbhar
  • Patent number: 7002046
    Abstract: A method for preparing and isolating dihydroxybiaryl compounds, such as 4,4?-dihydroxybiphenyl, is disclosed. The alkali metal salt of the dihydroxybiaryl compound is protonated with the monohydroxyaryl halide compound initially used in the reductive coupling reaction which produced the alkali metal salt. In addition, the alkali metal salt of the monohydroxyaryl halide compound is produced by the process, which can then be recycled as the base and monohydroxyaryl halide in a further reductive coupling reaction to form the alkali metal salt of the dihydroxybiaryl compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Yaw Ofori, Ben Purushotam Patel, Eric James Pressman
  • Patent number: 7002048
    Abstract: A method is provided for the efficient, low cost removal of acetol from a phenol stream. The method results in removal of substantially all of the acetol from the phenol stream without the formation of substantial amounts of additional methylbenzofuran. The method also avoids the use of expensive reagents and capital intensive distillation equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Sunoco, Inc. (R&M)
    Inventors: Tilak P. Wijesekera, Manoj V. Bhinde
  • Patent number: 6995290
    Abstract: The present invention refers to solid mixtures of alpha hydroxycarbonyl derivatives of alpha-methylstyrene oligomers containing at least 90% of the dimer isomers, the dimer isomer ratio being between 2.5 and 7, to their preparation and to their use as photoinitiators in photopolymerisation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Lamberti SpA
    Inventors: Marco Visconti, Gabriele Norcini, Giuseppe Li Bassi