Manufacture of halogenated hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR CHLORINATING NORMALLY GASEOUS PARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS BY MEANS OF CUPRIC CHLORIDE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) CONTINUOUSLY OXIDIZING AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 325* C. TO ABOUT 400* C. CUPROUS CHLORIDE SUPPORTED ON A FINELY DIVIDED SOLID CONTAINING AN ASCENDING FREE OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS STREAM, (2) CONTINUOUSLY NEUTRALIZING AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 325* C. TO ABOUT 400* C. THE OXIDIZED CUPROUS CHLORIDE BY SUSPENDING THE SAME IN A GAS STREAM COMPRISING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE TO FORM CUPRIC CHLORIDE THEREFROM, (3) CONTINUOUSLY TRANSFERRING AS A SUSPENSION IN A HYDROCARBON GAS THE CARRIER SUPPORTED CUPRIC CHLORIDE TO A SEPARATE REACTION ZONE, (4) CONTINUOUSLY SUSPENDING IN SAID SEPARATE REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 400* C. THE CARRIER SUPPORTED CUPRIC CHLORIDE IN A STREAM OF THE GASEOUS HYDROCARBON TO BE CHLORINATED WHEREBY SAID GASEOUS HYDROCARBON IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY CHLORINATED AND A MAJOR PART OF THE SUPPORTED CUPRIC CHLORIDE IS REDUCED TO CUPROUS CHLORIDE, (5) CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING THE GASEOUS PRODUCT FROM STEP 4 COMPRISING CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON PRODUCT, HYDROGEN CHLORIDE AND UNCONVERTED HYDROCARBON FROM THE SUPPORTED CUPROUS CHLORIDE OF STEP 4, (6) CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SUPPORTED CUPROUS CHLORIDE FROM SAID SEPARATE REACTION ZONE AND CONTINUOSULY CIRCULATING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID SUPPORTED CUPROUS CHLORIDE TO STEP 1. (7) CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING AT LEAST A PART OF THE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE OF STEP 5 TO STEP 2, AND (8) RECOVERING SAID CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON FROM STEP 5 OF THE PROCESS.