US4239924A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ethanol from methanol
Assignee: Chevron USA Inc
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Filing: 1979-05-25
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Granted: 1980-12-16
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Expires: 1999-05-25
Abstract
Abstract A process for selectively producing ethanol which comprises introducing into a reaction zone (1) methanol, (2) hydrogen, (3) carbon monoxide, (4) a cobalt tricarbonyl complex, (5) an iodine compound and (6) a ruthenium compound and then subjecting the contents of said reaction zone to an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure for a time sufficient to convert methanol to ethanol.
Inventors
- 👤 Wayne R. Pretzer
- 👤 Thaddeus P. Kobylinski
- 👤 John E. Bozik
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 23:39
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01J; B01J31/00; B01J31/26; B01J31/02; B01J31/0231; B01J31/16; B01J31/20; B01J31/24; B01J31/2404; C; C07; C07C; C07C29/00; C07C29/32; B01J2231/00; B01J2231/30; B01J2231/34; B01J2231/60; B01J2231/64; B01J2231/641; B01J2531/00; B01J2531/02; B01J2531/0202; B01J2531/0208; B01J2531/80; B01J2531/82; B01J2531/821; B01J2531/84; B01J2531/845; B01J31/22; B01J31/2204; B01J31/2208; B01J31/2226; B01J31/223; B01J31/2234
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A process for selectively producing ethanol which comprises introducing into a reaction zone (1) methanol, (2) hydrogen, (3) carbon monoxide, (4) a cobalt tricarbonyl complex defined by the following formula: ##STR2## wherein each of E 1 and E 2 is trivalent phosphorus; and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are alike members selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain alkyl radicals having from one to 24 carbon atoms; and aryl radicals having from six to 20 carbon atoms; (5) an iodine compound and (6) a ruthenium compound and then subjecting the contents of said reaction zone to an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure for a time sufficient to convert methanol to ethanol.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
130 words
A process for selectively producing ethanol which comprises introducing into a reaction zone (1) methanol, (2) hydrogen, (3) carbon monoxide, (4) a cobalt tricarbonyl complex defined by the following formula: ##STR2## wherein each of E 1 and E 2 is trivalent phosphorus; and R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are alike members selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain alkyl radicals having from one to 24 carbon atoms; and aryl radicals having from six to 20 carbon atoms; (5) an iodine compound and (6) a ruthenium compound and then subjecting the contents of said reaction zone to an elevated temperature and an elevated pressure for a time sufficient to convert methanol to ethanol.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
The process of claim 1 wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are selected from the group consisting of saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain alkyl radicals having from one to 10 carbon atoms; and aryl radicals having from six to 10 carbon atoms.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction time is about 0.5 hour to about 10 hours.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cobalt tricarbonyl complex is triphenyl phosphine cobalt tricarbonyl dimer.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cobalt tricarbonyl complex is tri-n-butyl phosphine tricarbonyl dimer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction time is about one to about five hours.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the molar ratios of hydrogen to carbon monoxide are about 10:1 to about 1:10.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the molar ratios of hydrogen to carbon monoxide are about 3:1 to about 1:30.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the iodine promoter is a member selected from the group consisting of iodine, potassium iodide, calcium iodide, sodium iodide, lithium iodide, hydrogen iodide, methyl iodide and ethyl iodide, or mixtures thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the iodine promoter is iodine.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is a member selected from the group consisting of ruthenium acetylacetonate, ruthenium trichloride, ruthenium tribromide, ruthenium triiodide, ruthenium acetate, ruthenium propionate, ruthenium octonate, ruthenium dioxide, ruthenium tetraoxide, ruthenium pentacarbonyl and tri-ruthenium dodecacarbonyl, or mixtures thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is ruthenium acetylacetonate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is ruthenium acetate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is tri-ruthenium dodecarbonyl.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is ruthenium dioxide.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the ruthenium compound is ruthenium triiodide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cobalt, iodine and ruthenium entitles are present in a molar ratio of about 100:1:1 to about 1:10:2.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cobalt, iodine and ruthenium entitles are present in a molar ratio of about 20:1:1 to about 1:5:1.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the weight percent of the combined cobalt, iodine and ruthenium is in the range of about 0.01 to about 10 percent.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the weight percent of the combined cobalt, iodine and ruthenium is in the range of about 0.01 to about five percent.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction temperature is about 150° C. to about 250° C.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction temperature is about 175° C. to about 225° C.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction pressure is about 1000 pounds per square inch gauge to about 10,000 pounds per square inch gauge.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction pressure is about 1000 pounds per square inch gauge to about 6000 pounds per square inch gauge.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction pressure is about 2000 pounds per square inch gauge to about 5000 pounds per square inch gauge.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-12-16 | 1984-06-16 | 1984-12-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-12-16 | 1988-06-16 | 1988-12-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-12-16 | 1992-06-16 | 1992-12-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |