Patents Represented by Attorney Jamie Sullivan
  • Patent number: 8106243
    Abstract: In a process for producing cyclohexylbenzene, benzene and hydrogen are contacted with a catalyst under hydroalkylation conditions to produce an effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene. The catalyst comprises a composite of a molecular sieve, an inorganic oxide different from said molecular sieve and at least one hydrogenation metal, wherein at least 50 wt % of said hydrogenation metal is supported on the inorganic oxide and the inorganic oxide has an average particle size less than 40 ?m (microns).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Tan-Jen Chen, Jane C. Cheng, Francisco M. Benitez, Terry E. Helton, Jon E. Stanat
  • Patent number: 7985883
    Abstract: In a process for producing hydroperoxides, an alkylaromatic compound of general formula (I): in which R1 and R2 each independently represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, provided that R1 and R2 may be joined to form a cyclic group having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, said cyclic group being optionally substituted, and R3 represents hydrogen, one or more alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a cyclohexyl group, with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising a manganese oxide molecular sieve to produce a hydroperoxide of general formula (II): in which R1, R2 and R3 have the same meaning as in formula (I). The hydroperoxide of formula (II) may then be converted to a phenol and an aldehyde or a ketone of the general formula R1COCH2R2 (III), in which R1 and R2 have the same meaning as in formula (I). In the case where the ketone is cyclohexanone, this may then be dehydrogenated to produce further phenol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: James C. Vartuli, Jihad M. Dakka, Robert C. Lemon
  • Patent number: 7939693
    Abstract: A process for producing sec-butylbenzene comprises feeding reactants comprising benzene and a C4 olefin to a distillation column reactor having a first reaction zone containing an alkylation catalyst and a second distillation zone, which is located below said first reaction zone and which is substantially free of alkylation catalyst, wherein the ratio of the number of distillation stages in said first reaction zone to the number of distillation stages in said second distillation zone is less than 1:1. Concurrently in the distillation reactor, the reactants are contacted with the alkylation catalyst in the first reaction zone under conditions such that the C4 olefin reacts with the benzene to produce sec-butylbenzene and the sec-butylbenzene is fractioned from the unreacted C4 olefin. The sec-butylbenzene thereby passes as a liquid phase stream from the first reaction zone to the second distillation zone and the liquid phase steam is withdrawn from the distillation column reactor as bottoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Jane C. Cheng, Jihad M. Dakka, Travis A. Reine, Jon E. Stanat
  • Patent number: 7910778
    Abstract: In a process for producing cyclohexylbenzene, benzene and hydrogen are contacted with a catalyst under hydroalkylation conditions to produce an effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene. The catalyst comprises a composite of a molecular sieve, an inorganic oxide different from said molecular sieve and at least one hydrogenation metal, wherein at least 50 wt % of said hydrogenation metal is supported on the inorganic oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Tan-Jen Chen, John Scott Buchanan, Jane Chi-ya Cheng, Terry E. Helton
  • Patent number: 7906685
    Abstract: In a process for producing cyclohexylbenzene, benzene and hydrogen are fed to at least one reaction zone. The benzene and hydrogen are then contacted in the at least one reaction zone under hydroalkylation conditions with a catalyst system comprising a molecular sieve having an X-ray diffraction pattern including d-spacing maxima at 12.4±0.25, 6.9±0.15, 3.57±0.07 and 3.42±0.07 Angstrom, and at least one hydrogenation metal to produce an effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene. The ratio of the total number of moles of hydrogen fed to said at least one reaction zone to the number of moles of benzene fed to said at least one reaction zone is between 0.4 and 0.9:1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Tan-Jen Chen, Francisco M. Benitez, Jane C. Cheng, Jon E. Stanat, John Scott Buchanan
  • Patent number: 7858832
    Abstract: A process for producing sec-butylbenzene comprises contacting a feed comprising benzene and a C4 alkylating agent under alkylation conditions comprising a temperature of about 110° C. to about 150° C. with a catalyst comprising at least one molecular sieve having an X-ray diffraction pattern including d-spacing maxima at 12.4±0.25, 6.9±0.15, 3.57±0.07 and 3.42±0.07 Angstrom. The sec-butylbenzene can be then oxidized to produce a hydroperoxide and the hydroperoxide decomposed to produce phenol and methyl ethyl ketone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
    Inventors: Jane C. Cheng, John S. Buchanan, Jon E. Stanat, Christine N. Elia, Jihad M. Dakka