Abstract: Crude water-containing tetrahydrofuran is purified by passing the crude tetrahydrofuran through three distillation columns, withdrawing water from the bottom of the first column, recycling water-containing tetrahydrofuran from the top of the second column into the first column, passing a sidestream of the first column into the second column, recycling the bottom product of the third column into the first column, and withdrawing a distillate at the top of the first column. Additionally, a sidestream of the second column is passed into the third column and the purified tetrahydrofuran is recovered as the top product of the third column.

Abstract: A process for preparing maleic anhydride by oxidizing n-butane in the gas phase under heterogeneous catalysis with oxygen-containing gases over a vanadium-, phosphorus- and oxygen-containing catalyst in a reactor unit at a temperature in the range from 350 to 500° C., removing the maleic anhydride formed to form a gas stream which comprises unconverted n-butane and water and recycling at least a portion of the unconverted n-butane to the reactor unit, by feeding to the reactor unit an inlet stream having an n-butane concentration of from 0.5 to 1.5% by volume and an oxygen concentration of from 5 to 21% by volume, establishing a pressure at the inlet to the reactor unit of from 0.4 to 2 MPa abs, and converting from 40 to 100% of the n-butane from the inlet stream per reactor pass.

Abstract: Catalyst in the form of an extrudate which comprises from 5 to 85% by weight of copper oxide and in which the same oxidic support material is present in the active composition and as binder, and the use of the catalyst for the hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for distillatively purifying tetrahydrofuran in the presence of a polar solvent.

Abstract: A process for preparing xylylenediamine, comprising the steps of ammoxidizing xylene to phthalonitrile by contacting the vaporous product of this ammoxidation stage directly with a liquid organic solvent (quench), removing products having a boiling point higher than phthalonitrile (high boilers) from the resulting quench solution or suspension and hydrogenating the phthalonitrile, wherein the organic solvent used for the quench is N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), after the removal of the high boilers and before the hydrogenation, there is a partial or complete removal of the NMP and/or of products having a boiling point lower than phthalonitrile (low boilers) and the phthalonitrile for the hydrogenation step is dissolved or suspended in an organic solvent or in liquid ammon.

Abstract: A catalyst for the hydrogenation of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or derivatives thereof, preferably maleic anhydride, in the gas phase comprises a) 20-94% by weight of copper oxide (CuO), preferably 40-92% by weight of CuO, in particular 60-90% by weight of CuO, and b) 0.005-5% by weight, preferably 0.01-3% by weight, in particular 0.05-2% by weight, palladium and/or a palladium compound (calculated as metallic palladium) and c) 2-79.995% by weight, preferably 5-59.99% by weight, in particular 8-39.95% by weight, of an oxidic support selected from the group consisting of the oxides of Al, Si, Zn, La, Ce, the elements of groups IIIA to VIIIA and of groups IA and IIA of the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Abstract: Optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol is prepared from C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof by: a) a gas stream of the C4-dicarboxylic acid or the derivative thereof in a first reactor in the gas phase to obtain a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted ?-butyro-lactone; b) removing succinic anhydride from the product of step a); c) catalytically hydrogenating the product of step b) in a second reactor in the gas phase to obtain optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol; d) removing the desired product from intermediates, by-products and any unconverted reactants; and e) optionally recycling unconverted intermediates into one or both hydrogenation stages. The catalysts employed in each of the hydrogenation stages comprise ?95% by weight of CuO, and ?5% by weight of an oxidic support, and the second reactor has a higher pressure than the first reactor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for variably preparing mixtures of optionally alkyl-substituted BDO, GBL and THF by two-stage hydrogenation in the gas phase of C4 dicarboxylic acids and/or derivatives thereof, which comprises a) in a first step in the gas phase, hydrogenating a gas stream of C4 dicarboxylic acids and/or derivatives thereof over a catalyst at a pressure of from 2 to 100 bar and a temperature of from 200° C. to 300° C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catalyst provided in the form of an extrudate, which contains 5 to 85% by weight of copper oxide and comprises, in the active material and as binders, the same oxidic carrier material. The invention also relates to the use of the catalyst for hydrogenating carbonyl compounds.

Abstract: A catalyst for the hydrogenation of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or their derivatives, preferably maleic anhydride, in the gas phase comprises from 5 to 100% by weight, preferably from 40 to 90% by weight, of copper oxide and from 0 to 95% by weight, preferably from 10 to 60% by weight, of one or more metals or compounds thereof selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, Zn, Pd, La, Ce, the elements of groups III A to VIII A and groups I A and II A as active composition applied in the form of a thin layer to an inert support material.

Abstract: A process for preparing xylylenediamine, comprising the steps of ammoxidizing xylene to phthalonitrile, by contacting the vaporous product of the ammoxidation stage directly with a liquid organic solvent (quench), and hydrogenating the phthalonitrile in the resulting quench solution or suspension, wherein the organic solvent is N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP).

Abstract: A process for preparing xylylenediamine, comprising the steps of ammoxidizing xylene to phthalonitrile by contacting the vaporous product of this ammoxidation stage directly with a liquid organic solvent (quench), removing products having a boiling point higher than phthalonitrile (high boilers) from the resulting quench solution or suspension and hydrogenating the phthalonitrile, wherein the organic solvent used for the quench is N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), after the removal of the high boilers and before the hydrogenation, there is a partial or complete removal of the NMP and/or of products having a boiling point lower than phthalonitrile (low boilers) and the phthalonitrile for the hydrogenation step is dissolved or suspended in an organic solvent or in liquid ammon

Abstract: A process for coproducing alkyl-substituted or unsubstituted THF and pyrrolidones by catalytically hydrogenating C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or derivatives thereof in the gas phase in the presence of copper catalysts and reacting GBL with ammonia or primary amines to give pyrrolidones.

Abstract: A multi-zone jacketed pipe reactor (2; 60; 90; 130) for carrying out exothermic gaseous phase reactions and with at least one reaction zone (I) working with vaporisation cooling, at least one reaction zone (II) working with circulation cooling and, possibly, with additional zones (III, IV) is characterised in that one reaction zone (I) working with vaporisation cooling forms the first reaction zone to which is connected an additional reaction zone (II) working with circulation cooling. In this way there occurs at the beginning of the reaction, when the latter is most violent, very intensive cooling at a precisely controllable temperature and especially as well a temperature that is constant across the entire cross-section of the reactor while subsequently in a subsequent reaction zone working with circulating cooling by means of global counter-flow guidance of the heat transfer agent a constant cooling of the reaction gas is achieved.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol by two-stage catalytic hydrogenation in the gas phase of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof having the following steps: a) introducing a gas stream of a C4-dicarboxylic acid or of a derivative thereof at from 200 to 300° C. and from 2 to 60 bar into a first reactor and catalytically hydrogenating it to a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted ?-butyrolactone; b) converting the product stream into the liquid phase; c) introducing the product stream obtained in this way into a second reactor at a temperature of from 100° C. to 240° C.

Abstract: A process for preparing xylylenediamine, comprising the steps of ammoxidizing xylene to phthalonitrile and hydrogenating the phthalonitrile, which comprises contacting the vaporous product of the ammoxidation stage directly with a liquid organic solvent or with molten phthalonitrile (quench), partly or fully removing components having a boiling point lower than phthalonitrile (low boilers) from the resulting quench solution or suspension or phthalonitrile melt and, after the low boiler removal and before the hydrogenation, removing products having a boiling point higher than phthalonitrile (high boilers).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing optionally alkyl-substituted 1,4-butanediol by two-stage catalytic hydrogenation in the gas phase of C4-dicarboxylic acids and/or of derivatives thereof having the following steps: a) introducing a gas stream of a C4-dicarboxylic acid or of a derivative thereof at from 200 to 300° C. and from 10 to 100 bar into a first reactor or into a first reaction zone of a reactor and catalytically hydrogenating it in the gas phase to a product which contains mainly optionally alkyl-substituted ?-butyrolactone; b) introducing the product stream obtained in this way into a second reactor or into a second reaction zone of a reactor at a temperature of from 140° C. to 260° C.

Abstract: A process for preparing maleic anhydride by oxidizing n-butane in the gas phase under heterogeneous catalysis with oxygen-containing gases over a vanadium-, phosphorus- and oxygen-containing catalyst in a reactor unit at a temperature in the range from 350 to 500° C., removing the maleic anhydride formed to form a gas stream which comprises unconverted n-butane and water and recycling at least a portion of the unconverted n-butane to the reactor unit, by feeding to the reactor unit an inlet stream having an n-butane concentration of from 0.5 to 1.5% by volume and an oxygen concentration of from 5 to 21% by volume, establishing a pressure at the inlet to the reactor unit of from 0.4 to 2 MPa abs, and converting from 40 to 100% of the n-butane from the inlet stream per reactor pass.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for one-stage preparation of polyoxyalkylene glycols by copolymerizing tetrahydrofuran and alpha,omega-diols in the presence of a heteropolyacid and of a hydrocarbon, which comprises distilling water in a mixture with this hydrocarbon out of the copolymerization.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for one-stage preparation of polyoxyalkylene glycols by copolymerizing tetrahydrofuran and alpha,omega-diols in the presence of a heteropolyacid and of a hydrocarbon, which comprises distilling water in a mixture with this hydrocarbon out of the copolymerization.