Abstract:
Continuous production of substantially or wholly water-soluble esters of glycols or their monoethers with lower fatty acids by reaction of a glycol of the formula (I): HO-A-X (I) in which A is ethylene, propylene or butylene; and X is OH or OR in which R is alkyl of one to four carbon atoms or OAOH or OAOR in which A and R have the meanings given above with a lower saturated fatty acid at elevated temperature in the presence of a catalytic amount of a strong acid while continuously removing the water formed by means of an entrainer followed by treatment with an aqueous alkali. The glycol of the formula (I) is reacted in a first zone with the lower fatty acid, the water formed being distilled off as an azeotrope over the top by means of an entrainer, and the crude glycol ester including the entrainer is removed from the bottoms, mixes with an aqueous alkali, extracted in a second zone while supplying an extractant and water with phase separation and in a third zone the pure glycol ester is recovered from the resulting mixture of glycol ester, entrainer and extractant by rectification. Glycol esters are used as solvents for surface coating agents.
Abstract:
A process for the manufacture of phthalic anhydride by oxidizing o-xylene and/or naphthalene over a supported catalyst containing vanadium pentoxide and titanium dioxide, at from 350.degree. to 500.degree.C, in which the o-xylene or naphthalene is passed, with an oxygen-containing carrier gas, over the catalyst, and in which the catalyst in the first 25-50 per cent by volume of the total catalyst volume, in the direction of flow of the mixture of .alpha.-xylene or naphthalene and carrier gas, containe from 0.001 to 0.3 per cent by weight, based on titanium dioxide, of rubidium, but no phosphorus, in the active composition, whilst the remainder of the catalyst contains from 0.02 to 0.8 per cent by weight, based on titanium dioxide, of phosphorus, but no rubidium, in the active composition.
Abstract:
Supported catalyst for the oxidation of o-xylene or naphthalene to phthalic anhydride, comprising an inert carrier and the active material applied thereto, which contains from 1 to 40 per cent by weight of vanadium pentoxide, from 60 to 98.84 per cent by weight of titanium dioxide and from 0.16 to 0.6 per cent by weight, based on titanium dioxide, of rubidium, the vanadium pentoxide content being from 0.05 to 4 per cent by weight, based on the (complete) catalyst.