Abstract:
A lower hydrocarbon having from one to eight carbon atoms is passed through an electric arc, heated therein above about 1,000* F., and immediately mixed with nitrogen or a nitrogencontaining compound, which mixture immediately reacts to form acetylene, hydrogen cyanide and other products, which products are quenched below about 1,000* F. If desired, the resulting products are further reacted to form acrylonitrile from the further reaction of the acetylene with the hydrogen cyanide present. By not passing the nitrogen-containing compound through the arc during the process, severe errosion of the electrodes is avoided. By passing only the lower hydrocarbon through the arc during the process, it is not necessary to employ any inert arc gas, which would increase the cost of operation and the difficulty of separation of products. Because of lower cost and availability, methane and ammonia are preferred as the two reactants. Nitrogen and other nitrogen-containing compounds are disclosed as suitable nitrogen sources to replace the ammonia. Apparatus features are the combination of a rotating arc heater with a fluidized bed arc effluent quench and feed preheater and, if desired, fluidized bed acrylonitrile from hydrogen and acetylene reactor followed, if desired, by a suitable series of fractionators.