Abstract: Provided is a process for hydrating and oligomerizing a hydrocarbon feed comprising mixed olefins, by contacting the feed with water and a catalyst in a fixed bed reactor, wherein the catalyst hydrates mixed olefins to mixed alcohols and oligomerizes mixed olefins into oligomers; introducing the resulting stream into a first separator that separates an organic phase from an aqueous phase; introducing the organic phase into a second separator that separates unreacted olefins from mixed alcohols/oligomers; introducing the aqueous phase into a third separator that separates an alcohol-water azeotrope from water; introducing the second stream into a fourth separator that separates sec-butyl alcohol to produce a third stream comprising mixed butanols and oligomers and an SBA stream; f) mixing the third stream and a first portion of the SBA stream to produce a final product stream; and g) recycling a second portion of the SBA stream to the second separator.

Abstract: In a method of converting alkanes to their corresponding alcohols and ethers a vessel comprises a hollow, unsegregated interior defined first, second, and third zones. In a first embodiment of the invention oxygen reacts with metal bromide in the first zone to provide bromine; bromine reacts with the alkane in the second zone to form alkyl bromide; and the alkyl bromide reacts with metal oxide in the third zone to form the corresponding alcohol and/or ether. Metal bromide from the third zone is transported through the vessel to the first zone and metal oxide from the first zone is recycled to the third zone. A second embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment in that metal oxide is transported through the vessel from the first zone to the third zone and metal bromide is recycled from the third zone to the first zone.

Abstract: This invention provides a process to convert alkanes to primary alcohols of the same carbon number. Carbon numbers of particular interest are C8 to C18.

Abstract: The specification discloses a process for the production of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the process comprising first and second reaction steps operated in tandem. In the first reaction step, ethyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, perchloroethylene and oxygen are reacted in the presence of a catalyst, using ethane as a diluent, to yield reaction products comprising ethyl alcohol and hexachloroethane. Substantially all of the oxygen and hydrogen chloride reactants of this first reaction step are consumed. The ethyl alcohol is isolated from these reaction products. In the second reaction step, the hexachloroethane from the first reaction step is reacted with ethane to produce the ethyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, and perchloroethylene used as reactants in the first reaction step. These reaction products are supplied to the first reaction step, along with any unreacted ethane.

Abstract: In a method of converting alkanes to their corresponding alcohols and ethers a vessel comprises a hollow, unsegregated interior defined first, second, and third zones. In a first embodiment of the invention oxygen reacts with metal bromide in the first zone to provide bromine; bromine reacts with the alkane in the second zone to form alkyl bromide; and the alkyl bromide reacts with metal oxide in the third zone to form the corresponding alcohol and/or ether. Metal bromide from the third zone is transported through the vessel to the first zone and metal oxide from the first zone is recycled to the third zone. A second embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment in that metal oxide is transported through the vessel from the first zone to the third zone and metal bromide is recycled from the third zone to the first zone.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing tetramethylcyclopentadiene from 2,3-dibromobutane is described. A 2-bromo-2-butene Grignard is reacted with an ethyl formate to produce a 3,5-dimethyl-2,5-heptadiene-4-ol magnesium bromide which is then quenched with acetic acid to produce 3,5-dimethyl-2,5-hepadiene-4-ol.

Abstract: Dihydromyrcenol is prepared from dihydromyrcenyl chloride by hydrolyzing dihydromyrcenyl chloride in an aqueous medium containing a base and a phase transfer catalyst in an amount of 0.001-10 mol %, based on the amount of dihydromyrcenyl chloride.