Oxychlorination of hydrocarbons and a catalyst therefor

Claim 2

A NOVEL CATALYST COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT COPPER CHLORIDE, FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALI METALS AND FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE RARE EARTH METALS, SAID PERCENTAGES BEING BASED ON AND SAID CHLORIDES BEING SUPPORTED BY AN INERT CARRIER MATERIAL HAVING A LOW SURFACE AREA NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM.

Claim 3

IN A PROCESS OF OXIDATIVE CHLORINATION OF HYDROCARBONS TO PRODUCE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING A VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON, A CHLORINATING AGENT AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS WITH A CATALYST DISPOSED IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAINING UP TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, WHEREIN ADJACENT CARBON ATOMS ARE LINKED BY 1 TO 2 VALENCE BONDS, SAID CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT COPPER CHLORIDE, FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METALS AND FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF RARE EARTH METALS, SAID PERCENTAGES BEING BASED ON AND SAID CHLORIDE BEING SUPPORTED BY AN INERT CARRIER MATERIAL HAVING A LOW SURFACE AREA NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, MAINTAINING SAID REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 275* C. TO ABOUT 600*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 0 P.S.I.G. TO ABOUT 200 P.S.I.G. AND RECOVERING THE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS FROM THE EFFLUENT OF THE REACTION ZONE.

Claim 4

IN A PROCESS OF OXIDATIVE CHLORINATION OF HYDROCARBONS TO PRODUCE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING A VAPOROUS MIXTURE OF ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON, A CHLORINATING AGENT AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS WITH A CATALYST DISPOSED IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAINING UP TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, WHEREIN ADJACENT CARBON ATOMS ARE LINKED BY 1 TO 2 VALENCE BONDS, SAID CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT COPPER CHLORIDE, FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METALS AND FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 10 WT. PERCENT OF CHLORIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF RARE EARTH METALS, SAID PERCENTAGES BEING BASED ON AND SAID CHLORIDE BEING SUPPORTED BY AN INERT CARRIER MATERIAL HAVING A LOW SURFACE AREA NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 10 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, MAINTAINING SAID REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 275* C. TO ABOUT 600*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 0 P.S.I.G. TO ABOUT 200 P.S.I.G. AND RECOVERING THE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS FROM THE EFFLUENT OF THE REACTION ZONE.