Abstract: Acetic acid can be prepared in high conversions and selectively by the oxidation of liquid n-butane at temperatures of from 120.degree. C. up to 230.degree. C. in the presence of an acetic acid solution containing bromine ions in combination with ions of cobalt or cobalt and manganese. The debutanized effluent of such oxidation consists mainly of acetic acid and water but also contains esters and ketones boiling lower than acetic acid, some higher carbon content aliphatic acids and metal salts boiling higher than acetic acid and rather small amounts of 3-bromo-2-butanone which, although boiling higher than acetic acid, cannot be separated by simple distillation as can be the other non-acetic acid organic impurities. The present inventive technique for removal of said bromo-ketone has for its concept the use of a combination of cryogenic crystallization and removal of adhering mother liquor which can be practiced continuously in known apparatus devised for other fractional crystallizations.

Abstract: Catalytic liquid phase molecular oxygen oxidation of methyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons having two or more methyl-substituents on adjacent ring carbon atoms in acetic acid reaction medium have, in general, resulted in a substantial production of the desired ortho-oriented di-, tri-, and higher polycarboxylic substituted aromatic acids but also in the co-production of substantial amounts of oxygenated intermediates including methyl-substituted mono- and non-ortho polycarboxylic acids. Several theories have been proposed, including inherent auto-inhibiton, for such incomplete oxidations.

Abstract: Precipitation-free recovery of catalyst metal content of residue from manufacture of benzene carboxylic acid by oxidation with source of molecular oxygen of liquid methyl-substituted benzene in presence of cobalt, manganese, cerium, and mixtures of two or more thereof followed by removal of benzene carboxylic acid and, if used, reaction solvent. Such precipitation-free method comprises extracting such residue with water, contacting the resulting extract solution or suspension of insolubles in extract solution with one side of a cation permeable fluoropolymer membrane and contacting the opposite side of the membrane with a hydrohalidic acid.

Abstract: The oxidation of liquid n-butane with oxygen gas at a temperature of from 120.degree. C. up to 235.degree. C. in the presence of an acetic acid solution containing bromide ion in combination with ions of cobalt or cobalt and manganese produces a reaction effluent containing mainly acetic acid (65 to 72 weight percent) and water (23 to 27 weight percent) together with impurity concentrations of esters and ketones boiling lower than acetic acid, higher carbon (C.sub.3 and C.sub.4) aliphatic monocarboxylic acids boiling higher than acetic acid and the difficultly separable 3-bromo-2-butanone impurity. The concentration of said bromoketone can be decreased by maintaining said reaction effluent or its debutanized residue at a temperature of from 150.degree. C. up to 200.degree. C. for 15 to 150 minutes. Subsequent distillation even further decreases the concentration of the bromoketone in the acetic acid distillate fraction.

Abstract: Precipitation-free recovery of catalyst metal content of residue from manufacture of trimellitic acid by oxidation with source of molecular oxygen of liquid pseudocumene in presence of cobalt and manganese, cobalt, manganese and cerium, followed by removal of trimellitic acid or its anhydride and, if used, reaction solvent and then separating manganese from the recovered metals. The foregoing is accomplished by extraction of such residue with water, contacting the resulting aqueous extract solution or suspension of insolubles in the aqueous solution with one side of a cation permeable fluoropolymer membrane whose other side is in contact with a hydrohalidic acid to permit metal ions to pass through the membrane, removing the hydrohalidic solution of the catalyst metals, and then after a pH adjustment adding metallic manganese to precipitate cobalt as metal.

Abstract: Recovery of cobalt and manganese metal oxidation catalysts from residue of trimellitic acid manufacture and separation of recovered cobalt from recovered manganese can be accomplished by a novel method involving dissolving the residue in water, displacing dissolved cobalt as cobalt metal by manganese metal added to the solution whose pH has been adjusted to pH of 6 and then using magnetic means for separating metallic cobalt from the cobalt-free solution.

Abstract: Cobalt and manganese are recovered from incineration ash obtained by combustion of residue from the manufacture of trimellitic acid and its recovery as 4-carboxyphthalic anhydride and then the recovered cobalt is separated from the recovered manganese by magnetic separation. The foregoing is accomplished by extraction of the ash with an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide or chloride, recovery of the extract solution, and the upward adjustment of its pH while adding powdered manganese to precipitate metallic cobalt for its separation by magnetic means.

Abstract: This invention relates to the preparation of o-phthalic acid by the oxidation of liquid o-xylene with a source of molecular oxygen at a temperature in the range of from 150.degree. C. up to 235.degree. C. in the presence of catalysis provided by the combination of components which include a source of bromine and at least cobalt as metal oxidation catalyst, in the presence of liquid water in an amount to activate said catalysis and solubilize a catalytically effective amount of metal oxidation catalyst in liquid phthalic acid and under conditions which retain substantially all the o-phthalic acid in the free acid form but in the absence of any material extraneous to the oxidation reaction or its products as solvent.Such preparative process results in yields of 85 to 92 mole percent and higher to o-phthalic acid in but a single oxidation step with recycle thereto of only o-xylene vaporized from the reaction zone and recovered.

Abstract: Recovery of cobalt and manganese from residue of trimellitic acid manufacture and recovery as 4-carboxy-phthalic anhydride by extracting the residue with an aqueous alkaline solution containing carbonate ions which leaves a precipitate of metal carbonates, dissolving said precipitate as the metal chlorides, and at an upwardly adjusted pH adding powdered manganese to precipitate metallic cobalt and separating it by magnetic means.

Abstract: This invention relates to the reclamation of metal oxidation catalysts by water extraction of a high boiling residual mixture remaining after separation of a benzene di- and/or tricarboxylic acid; e.g., the phthalic acids, trimesic acid or trimellitic acid and reaction solvent, if one is used, from the fluid oxidation effluents produced by the catalytic liquid phase oxidation of a xylene, mesitylene, psendocumene or o-xylene and psendocumene with a source of molecular oxygen in the presence or in the absence of a reaction solvent.

Abstract: Excessive energy consumption of a combination of multi-fractionations and multi-distillations of concentrating aqueous acetic acid product of liquid phase oxidations, especially oxidation of liquid n-butane with oxygen gas while the butane is dissolved in liquid acetic acid containing a catalyst system comprising Co-Br or Co-Mn-Br, is avoided and an otherwise hard to remove bromo-ketone is readily removed by a combination of sequential steps of decompressing the oxidation reaction mixture to remove unreacted butane as well as gaseous products, heat treating the decompressed liquid at a temperature of from 150.degree. C. up to 200.degree. C. for from 15 up to 150 minutes, subjecting the heat treated liquid to fractionation while recycling to the rectification zone thereof an aqueous portion of low boiling impurities as a means for concentrating the acetic acid and thereafter further concentrating the acetic acid produced by continuous fractional crystallization.

Abstract: Chromium (III) catalysis of the reaction between ethylene oxides (ethylene oxide and 1,2-propylene oxide) and aromatic carboxylic acids at temperatures in the range from 50.degree. to 180.degree. C. are rapid but produce excessive amounts of diglycol ether ester (2-hydroxyethoxyethanol or 2-hydroxy-2-methylethoxy 2-methylethanol) which is present as the diglycol ether ester of the aromatic carboxylic acid and is a contaminent hard to remove from the desired 2-hydroxyethyl ester of the aromatic carboxylic acid. The use of an amine, in such ethylene oxide reaction with aromatic carboxylic acid suppresses the formation of diglycol ether and increases the conversion of aromatic carboxylic acid to the desired 2-hydroxyethyl ester thereof.

Abstract: Commercially attractive amounts of benzene and toluene can be obtained from a solid mixture of aldehydo-, carboxy-, keto- and carboxy-, carboxy- and aldehydo-substituted benzene and toluene including such mixtures also containing cobalt and manganese salts of organic acids and inorganic and organic bromides obtained from the manufacture of benzene di- and tricarboxylic acids by non-catalytic pyrolysis of such mixture or gases and vapors therefrom at a temperature of at least 700.degree. C. Such non-catalytic pyrolysis is more technically attractive than catalytic pyrolysis conducted at a temperature of from 300.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. which has a short activity life.

Abstract: The oxidation of butane vapor with air produces an impure maleic anhydride which when fractionated to first remove materials boiling lower than maleic anhydride and then a maleic anhydride product, leads to a maleic anhydride product fraction which when held at 140.degree. C. for 90 minutes discolors and is not a commercially acceptable product. Such discoloration can be substantially reduced by maintaining the impure maleic anhydride at a temperature from 60.degree. up to 200.degree. C. in the presence of small amounts of either hydrogen peroxide and/or sulfuric acid.

Abstract: Short, less than one second, residence time non-catalytic hydropyrolysis is conducted by rapid heating at more than 600.degree. C. per second of a solid mixture of aldehydo-, carboxy-, keto- and carboxy-, and aldehydo- and carboxy- substituted benzene and toluene and such solid also containing cobalt and/or manganese salts of organic acids and organic and/or inorganic bromides obtained from the manufacture of benzene di- and tricarboxylic acids up to a temperature of at least 700.degree. C. Such short residence hydropyrolysis produces attractive amounts of readily recoverable benzene and toluene as well as lower alkanes and alkenes and a solid carbonaceous char which can be burned to provide heat for the hydropyrolysis. The short residence hydropyrolysis is not subject to short activity and frequent periods of off-stream time as are the catalytic pyrolysis conducted at lower temperatures of from 300.degree. up to 500.degree. C.

Abstract: Xylenes can by merely being contacted with air over a period of time or during storage at temperatures upward from 60.degree. C. develop from 55 to 60 ppm of tolualdehyde. Such tolualdehyde formation can be suppressed by dissolving in the xylene a small amount of thiodipropionic acid or a di(alkyl)ester thereof.

Abstract: Solid residues obtained from the manufacture of benzene di- or tricarboxylic acid by the oxidation of di- or trimethyl substituted benzene with air in the presence of catalysis from a source of bromine in combination with one or both of cobalt and manganese when incinerated can produce bromine-containing particulates whose discharge into the atmosphere may be undesirable. The discharge of such bromine-containing particles into the atmosphere can be avoided by subjecting said solid residue in comminuted form or such form suspended in 30 to 50 weight percent water to continuous pyrolysis in the presence of an inert particulate solid in a zone heated to a temperature of at least 700.degree. C., contacting the gaseous product or a portion thereof after removal of benzene and toluene therefrom with a carbonate, hydroxide or oxide of one or both of calcium and magnesium and then incinerating the gaseous product or said portion thereof.

Abstract: This invention relates to the selective removal of dissolved copper from an aqueous solution also containing dissolved cobalt, or manganese or cobalt and manganese with other extraneous metals such as iron, nickel and chromium and more particularly pertains to such removal of copper where its content and the respective contents of iron, nickel and chromium are a small fraction of; e.g., from 0.01 to 0.1 times, the concentration of cobalt, and manganese if present can be in a concentration from 2 up to 10 times the concentration of cobalt.

Abstract: Phthalic anhydride of commercially acceptable quality is recovered in high (94-96%) yields from a mixture containing, on a weight basis, from 70 to 90% o-phthalic acid, 1.5 to 21% water, 0.3 up to 13% benzoic acid, 0.2 up to 2% o-toluic acid, 0.2 to 1% 2-carboxybenzaldehyde, 0.1 up to 2% phthalide, from 1.3 up to 10% higher boiling materials, and from 0.05 up to 0.8% bromine by rapid dehydration of o-phthalic acid to its anhydride and rapid evaporation thereof followed by contact of the resulting vapor mixture with a noble metal catalyst to remove bromine and then with an inert reflux liquid in a fractionation zone to remove water and to provide a partial purification of the anhydride, removal of phthalide therefrom by only heating said partially purified anhydride in the presence of a catalytic amount of an alkali metal hydroxide having a molecular weight of at least 56 followed by fractionation of the phthalide-free mixture.

Abstract: Undesirable discoloration of resultant phthalic anhydride and decomposition thereof and/or o-phthalic acid accompanying dehydration of o-phthalic acid to its anhydride in the presence of oxidation catalyst components Co, Mn and Br can be avoided by the rapid dehydration of o-phthalic acid and rapid vaporization of its anhydride occurring at a reduced pressure of downward from 760 mm Hg down to 40 mm Hg and at a temperature of from 180.degree. C. up to 250.degree. C. under continuous flow conditions which permit rapid removal of anhydride as vapor stream from catalyst components remaining as part of a fluid residue.