Production of acetic anhydride and acetic acid from acetaldehyde

US4252983A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Hoechst GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Heinz Erpenbach · Cologne, DE
• Klaus Gehrmann · Lechenich, DE
• Alfred Hauser · Lechenich, DE
• Kurt Karrenbauer · Lechenich, DE
• Winfried Lork · Lechenich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 13, 1978
• Grant date: Feb 24, 1981
• Expiry date: Dec 13, 1998

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C51/235
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Acetic acid and acetic anhydride are produced continuously from acetaldehyde which is reacted by oxidizing it with gaseous oxygen in liquid phase in the presence of copper acylate and cobalt acylate as a catalyst and in the presence of an aliphatic carboxylic acid ester as a diluent. More specifically, the reaction is effected at temperatures of 62.degree. to 90.degree. C. over a period of less than 20 minutes with the use of the diluent and acetaldehyde in a quantitative ratio of 60:40 to 40:60; the resulting reaction products are delivered to a distilling zone in which the carboxylic acid ester and water are distilled off overhead and separated into two phases. Next, the organic phase is recycled with a reflux ratio of at least 1:1 to the distilling zone; base product accumulating in the distilling zone is delivered to an evaporating zone in which 2 to 12 parts by weight of an acetic acid/acetic anhydride-mixture as distillate are produced per part by weight of catalyst solution as base product.