Abstract: Disclosed is a method for making C2 or larger hydrocarbons from methane or for dehydrogenating C2 or larger hydrocarbons. The method can include contacting methane or C2 or larger hydrocarbons with a hydridable material under reaction conditions sufficient to effect removal of at least one hydrogen atom from a plurality of methane molecules or C2 or larger hydrocarbons to produce a plurality of methyl radicals or to dehydrogenate the C2 or larger hydrocarbons. With respect to the produced plurality of methyl radicals, they can combine together to form C2 or larger hydrocarbons. The reaction is performed in the absence of oxygen gas and reactive metal oxides.

Abstract: The invention is for a process for producing propylene and hexene (along with ethylene, pentenes, product butenes, heptenes and octenes) by metathesis from butenes (iso-, 1- and cis and trans 2-) and pentenes and then aromatizing the hexenes (along with higher olefins, such as heptenes and octenes) to benzene (along with toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene and styrene). Since the desired products of the metathesis reaction are propylene and hexene, the feed to the metathesis reaction has a molar ratio for 1-butene:2-butene which favors production of propylene and 3-hexene with the concentration of hexenes and higher olefins in the metathesis product being up to 30 mole %. An isomerization reactor may be used to obtain the desired molar ratio of 1-butene:2-butene for the feed composition into the metathesis reactor. After the metathesis reaction, of hexene and higher olefins are separated for aromatization to benzene and other aromatics.