Abstract: Oxidative dehydrogenation includes: (a) providing a gaseous feed stream to a catalytic reactor, the feed stream comprising a dehydrogenation reactant, oxygen, superheated steam, hydrocarbon moderator gas and optionally nitrogen, wherein the molar ratio of moderator gas to oxygen in feed stream is typically from 4:1 to 1:1 and the molar ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the feed stream is at least 2; (b) oxidatively dehydrogenating the reactant in the reactor to provide a dehydrogenated product enriched effluent product stream; and (c) recovering dehydrogenated product from the effluent product stream. One preferred embodiment is a process for making butadiene including dimerizing ethylene to n-butene in a homogeneous reaction medium to provide a hydrocarbonaceous n-butene rich feed stream and oxidatively dehydrogenating the n-butene so formed.

Abstract: A method of producing butadiene includes: (1) dimerizing ethylene to butene followed by (2) oxidatively dehydrogenating the butene to butadiene and (3) recovering the butadiene by (i) absorbing the product with a hydrocarbon absorber oil and (ii) stripping a crude product stream from the absorber oil. The absorber oil is selected so as to be effective to sequester ethylene dimerization-derived impurities from the system.

Abstract: A process for producing acetic acid comprising the steps of reacting carbon monoxide and at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative in a first reactor under conditions effective to produce a crude acetic acid product; separating the crude acetic acid product into at least one derivative stream, at least one of the at least one derivative stream comprising residual carbon monoxide; and reacting at least a portion of the residual carbon monoxide with at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative over a metal catalyst in a second reactor to produce additional acetic acid.

Abstract: A process for producing acetic acid comprising the steps of reacting carbon monoxide and at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative in a first reactor under conditions effective to produce a crude acetic acid product; separating the crude acetic acid product into at least one derivative stream, at least one of the at least one derivative stream comprising residual carbon monoxide; and reacting at least a portion of the residual carbon monoxide with at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative over a metal catalyst in a second reactor to produce additional acetic acid.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for producing a substituted ethylenediamine, the process comprising reacting an oxazolidinone with a secondary amine or an alkanolamine. The process includes, in one aspect, reacting precursors of the oxazolidinone in situ.

Abstract: The invention is a process for the preparation of 2-oxazolidinones which comprises contacting a 2-hydroxyalkyl carbamate with an alkylene oxide or alkylene carbonate in the presence of a catalytic amount of a quaternary ammonium halide, quaternary phosphonium halide, a group I metal carbonate, hydroxide, oxide or halide, or a group II metal carbonate, hydroxide, oxide or halide under conditions such that a 2-oxazolidinone is prepared.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for making anthraquinone by the cyclization reaction of orthobenzoylbenzoic acid. The process uses as a catalyst a cation-exchange resin formed from a polymer with a polytetrafluoroethylene backbone and sulfonic-acid sidechains.

Abstract: Aqueous AlF.sub.3 enriched crystallization mother liquors contaminated with P.sub.2 O.sub.5 values and having less than 5% free acidity are treated with a material which provides bismuth ions in the mother liquor in amounts small enough to insure that the Bi/PO.sub.4 mole ratio remains below about 1.05. Under these conditions, the bismuth and P.sub.2 O.sub.5 react essentially quantitatively to form a BiPO.sub.4 precipitate by which the P.sub.2 O.sub.5 can be separated from the mother liquor. Bismuth can be regenerated from the BiPO.sub.4 and recycled for further use in the process.The invention finds utility in the preparation of AlF.sub.3 by the reaction of an aluminum ore and P.sub.2 O.sub.5 contaminated HF or H.sub.2 SiF.sub.6 such as that available as a by-product of wet process phosphoric acid manufacture. The AlF.sub.3 reaction product is recovered by a crystallization step which, because it is normally only about 70 to 90% efficient, produces a mother liquor containing substantial amounts of AlF.sub.3.