Abstract: 1,2-Dichloroethane is prepared by reacting ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a copper-containing catalyst by a process in which first hydrogen chloride and oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas are reacted in the presence of the catalyst, then ethylene is added, and the mixture is reacted in the presence of the said catalyst.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of vinyl chloride by vaporizing liquid 1,2-dichloroethane, thermally cracking the 1,2-dichloroethane and cooling the hot reaction mixture by means of cooled and condensed portions of the reaction mixture, wherein a defined amount of the 1,2-dichloroethane is taken off as liquid in or downstream of the vaporizer and mixed with a defined amount of the cooled liquid portion of the reaction mixture, the mixture is distilled and the constituents taken off the top of the distillation column are mixed with the liquid 1,2-dichloroethane upstream of the vaporizer while the constituents taken off the bottom of the distillation column are worked up by distillation.

Abstract: Impurities are removed from vinyl chloride by passing it over finely divided calcium oxide.

Abstract: A supported catalyst containing copper and alkali metals, wherein the content of copper is from 1.0 to 12% by weight, based on total catalyst and expressed as metal, and the total content of the alkali metals potassium, lithium and sodium is from 0.3 to 9% by weight, based on total catalyst.The novel catalyst is useful for the preparation of 1,2-dichloroethane by oxychlorination of ethylene.

Abstract: A process for the thermal dissociation of an organic substance containing chlorine in which substantially anhydrous hydrogen chloride is obtained. The substance containing chlorine is introduced in a first stage into a salt melt in the absence of oxygen, hydrogen chloride is discharged from the reaction mixture and then oxygen is supplied to the salt melt in a second stage.