An improved distillation process

Abstract: A process is disclosed for reducing the amount of unwanted alkyleneglycol di(meth)acrylate produced during the distillation of hydroxyalkyl acrylates or hydroxyalkyl methacrylates.

Description: The present invention is concerned with a process for reducing the amount of alkyleneglycol diacrylate or alkyleneglycol dimethacrylate produced during the distillation of hydroxyalkyl acrylates or hydroxyalkyl methacrylates produced by the metal ion catalyzed esterification of an acrylic or methacrylic acid by an alkylene oxide. The term (meth)acrylate is used hereinafter to describe both acrylate and methacrylate containing compounds or derivatives. Hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates are typically produced by reaction of (meth)acrylic acid with an alkylene oxide in the presence of a metal ion catalyst. Metal ion catalysts include iron salts of organic acids such as iron (meth)acrylate, iron salts of inorganic acids such as ferric chloride, chromium compounds such as chromic or bichromic acid, and Lewis acids such as aluminum chloride. Other catalysts include organic bases such as tertiary amines and quaternary ammonium salts. Of these catalysts, iron salts are the most common. Purification of the hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate is generally accomplished by distillation from the crude reaction mixture. One of the major problems with this process is that the hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate itself is capable of further esterification with an additional (meth)acrylic acid molecule or transesterification with another hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate to produce an alkyleneglycol di(meth)acrylate (hereinafter referred to as "di(meth)acrylate"). The di(meth)acrylate is undesirable because it can act as a crosslinking agent in any subsequent polymerizations in which the hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate is a component. Furthermore, the di(meth)acrylate may increase the extent of unwanted polymerization during the distillation step resulting in increased amounts of tars or other unwanted solids in the still bottoms or on the equipment and a corresponding reduction in the yield of the desired hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate in the distillate. The extent of formation of this di(meth)acrylate is dependent on the type of catalyst used in the reaction, the concentration of the various reactants, products, or other additives, as well as the distillation conditions. An additional problem that may occur during distillation is that the reaction catalysts normally used often form a variety of side products, including complexes, with reactants and products in addition to the tars and unwanted solids. These complexes also often interfere with the distillation process. US-A-3,709,928 describes the use of polyalkyleneglycols, with higher boiling points than the desired hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates, to increase both the purity and overall yield of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates produced by reacting an alkyl (meth)acrylic acid, or its sodium salt, and an alkylene oxide, or corresponding alkyl chlorohydrin, and isolating the product by distillation. The polyalkyleneglycols are reported to have two effects, (1) they inhibit the formation of di(meth)acrylate, and (2) they prevent the catalyst used from forming an insoluble solid that interferes with the distillation. However, the exact mechanism of action of the polyalkyleneglycols is not disclosed. US-A-4,365,081 describes the preparation of 2-hydroxyalkyl methacrylate by the reaction of methacrylic acid with an alkylene oxide catalyzed by the ferric salt of a variety of carboxylic acids, including (meth)acrylic, benzoic, various phthalic, and salicylic. After distillation is complete, addition of water, acetic acid, salicylic acid, ethanolamines or methanol will decompose the distillation residue, which is characterized as an iron containing salt of complex structure. Furthermore, salicylic acid can be added anytime during the reaction or distillation to stabilize the distillation residue. We approached the problem of di(meth)acrylate production by assuming that the reaction catalyst or catalyst complex also catalyzed the transesterification reaction of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate with itself or its direct esterification with (meth)acrylic acid. Thus, the object of the invention was to find an additive that would deactivate the catalyst, or catalyst byproducts, thereby avoiding the catalyzed transesterification, or direct esterification, and resulting di(meth)acrylate contamination of the hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate distillate. We have now found that certain organic compounds have the appropriate mix of physicochemical properties such that they deactivate the catalyst, possibly via some type of sequestering process. According to the present invention, there is provided a method for reducing formation of di(meth)acrylate during the distillation of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates, e.g. hydroxyethyl acrylate, prepared by the iron catalyzed reaction of (meth)acrylic acids with alkylene oxides, the method comprising conducting the distillation in the presence of an effective amount of one or more catalyst deactivating additive selected from: (a) unsubstituted and substituted, alkyl and aralkyl, mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof, including C₄ to C₂₀ alkyl and C₇ to C₂₀ aralkyl, mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof which, when substituted, are substituted with from one to four substitutuents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl and/or naphthyl; (b) alkoxy, alkyl, halo and aryl substituted, aryl, mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof, including C₆ to C₁₀ aryl, mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof, which are substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl and/or naphthyl; (c) C₃ to C₁₀ vicinal diols, which may be unsubstituted or substituted, including C₃ to C₁₀ vicinal diols which may, optionally, be substituted with from one to four substituents selected from hydroxy, C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl; (d) o -substituted phenols which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl and carboxymethyl, and, when further substituted, the substituent(s) is/are selected from alkoxy, alkyl, halo and aryl, including C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl; (e) o -substituted polyaromatic alcohols which may, optionally, be further substituted, including o -substituted polyaromatic alcohols which may, optionally, be substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl, carboxy and carboxymethyl; (f) unsubstituted and substituted diglycolic anhydrides, including diglycolic anhydrides which are unsubstituted or substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy and/or butoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and/or butyl, halo such as chloro, bromo and/or fluoro, and aryl such as phenyl; and (g) poly(meth)acrylic acids such as polyacrylic acids. Examples of acids falling within group (a), defined above, include stearic, lauric, octanoic, phenylacetic, adipic, and succinic; preferred acids are stearic, lauric, and phenylacetic; and most preferred are stearic and lauric acids. An Example of an anhydride falling within group (a), defined above, is succinic anhydride. Examples of acids falling within group (b), defined above, include p -toluic and o -phthalic; a preferred acid is o -toluic. An example of an anhydride falling within group (b), defined above, is phthalic anhydride. An example of a diol falling within group (c), defined above, is glycerol. Examples of o -substituted phenols falling within group (d), defined above, include 2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, catechol, 3-methoxycatechol, and 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol; preferred o -substituted phenols are 2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and catechol; and most preferred is catechol. An example of an o -substituted polyaromatic alcohol falling within group (e), defined above, is 2, 3-dihydroxynaphthalene. An example of a diglycolic anhydride falling within group (f), defined above, is diglycolic anhydride. In one embodiment of the present invention the additive is selected from: unsubstituted and substituted, C₄ to C₂₀ monocarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof; and o -substituted phenols, which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl groups, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl and carboxymethyl, and is preferably selected from stearic acid, lauric acid, catechol and 3-methoxycatechol₁ and is most preferably catechol. In the method of the invention, the catalyst deactivating additive is preferably admixed with the hydroxyalkyl(meth) acrylate before beginning the distillation. Further, any insoluble materials present, after admixing the additive, may be removed prior to distillation. A variety of organic compounds have been found that deactivate the catalyst while minimizing contamination of the product. They share the following properties: a boiling point higher than the product hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate, functional groups capable of interacting with the metal cation, and solubility in the reaction mixture. When the boiling point is similar to or less than the product hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate, it is difficult to avoid contamination of the distillate with the additive. Furthermore, the additive should preferably be a weaker acid than (meth)acrylic acid. We have found that, when the additive's pK a is too low, any unreacted (meth)acrylic acid that may have complexed with the metallic catalyst is liberated resulting in an increased (meth)acrylic acid level in the distillate. The mix of properties may be varied depending on the particular hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate being produced. Additives found to substantially reduce di(meth)acrylate formation include, for example, the following: stearic acid, lauric acid, octanoic acid, p -toluic acid, phenylacetic acid, adipic acid, o -phthalic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, 2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, phthalic anhydride, succinic anhydride, diglycolic anhydride, catechol, 3-methoxycatechol, 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, polyacrylic acids, and glycerol. Preferred additives include the long chain fatty acids (e.g. stearic and lauric acids) and the diols (catechol, 3-methoxycatechol, and glycerol). Most preferred is catechol. The effective amount of additive is the amount required to reduce the di(meth)acrylate level in the distillate below that found in the absence of the additive. It may range from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction mixture obtained from the preparation of the hydroxyalkyl(meth) acrylates. However, from about 0.5 to about 2.0 weight percent is preferred, and from about 0.75 to about 1.0 weight percent is most preferred. The rationale for the approach used in this invention was to minimize the effectiveness of iron-containing process catalysts as di(meth)acrylate production catalysts during the processing of crude hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate. Additives can be mixed with crude hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate at levels up to about five percent by weight with the pure hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate typically isolated by distillation. Effectiveness of the additives varies depending on their particular physicochemical properties, properties of the reactant (meth)acrylic acid and epoxide, as well as the product hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate. Two different, but related, modes of deactivation may be at work in this process. Certain of the additives, notably the long-chain fatty acids (e.g. stearic and lauric), produce an insoluble material resembling a tar. This insoluble material sequesters the catalyst in such a way that it can no longer catalyze di(meth)acrylate production. Removal of the insoluble material by filtration followed by distillation of the mother liquor results in a high recovery of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate with significantly reduced di(meth)acrylate content. This result also confirms that it is the catalyst that has a major contribution in formation of the di(meth)acrylate. With other additives tars are not produced. However, the catalyst is nonetheless deactivated because, again, distillation results in a high recovery of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate with reduced di(meth)acrylate. The following Examples and comparative Examples are presented to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. Examples A model hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate production system was chosen for purposes of determining the effectiveness of each additive in reducing di(meth)acrylate content in distilled product. In this system, undistilled crude hydroxyethyl acrylate, produced from the iron catalyzed esterification of acrylic acid with ethylene oxide, was treated with varying amounts of each additive and the resulting mixture evaluated. The crude hydroxyethyl acrylate used in these studies contained approximately 3000 ppm of iron. The primary evaluation procedure, referred to as "bottle studies", for the determination of di(meth)acrylate formation, involved heating reaction mixtures in closed 59.1 cm³ (2 oz) bottles at 80° C. for periods of 3 or 6 hours. This procedure was used to highlight differences in di(meth)acrylate formation between untreated reaction crude and reaction crude that was treated with an additive. A secondary evaluation involved laboratory distillation of the reaction crude with and without the additive. The results of these studies are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. Examples 1- 43 were conducted using the bottle study evaluation as follows: The additive was added to the hydroxyethyl acrylate reaction crude containing up to 0.5 weight percent di(meth)acrylate. The mixture was heated at 80° C. for either three or six hours. The di(meth)acrylate content of the mixture was then determined by HPLC analysis. The di(meth)acrylate content of the mixture was compared to that in a sample treated identically except for the absence of the additive. Table 1 summarizes the results of these experiments. Examples 44 - 56 were conducted by vacuum distillation of crude reaction mixture under laboratory conditions. The distillation was completed in either 1-2 hours or 5-6 hours in order to simulate short-term and long-term distillations. The concentration of di(meth)acrylate in the distillate from the sample containing additive was then compared to that in a similar sample without additive. The results of these experiments are summarized in Table 2. Example # Additive Weight % Conditions Ratio 44 Lauric acid 0.5 A-2 1.0 45 Lauric acid 2.0 A-1/A-2 0.03-0.7 46 Phthalic acid 0.5 A-2 0.7 47 Phthalic acid 2.0 A-2 0.3 48 Phenylacetic acid 2.0 A-2 0.6 49 Salicylic acid 0.5 A-2 0.7 50 p -Toluic acid 0.5 A-2 1.1 51 p -Toluic acid 2.0 A-2 0.5 52 Polypropylene glycol 2.0 A-2 1.0 53 Glycerol 2.0 A-2 1.0 54 Succinic acid 2.0 B-2 0.3 55 Catechol 1.0 A-2/B-2 0.2-0.4 56 Catechol 2.0 B-2 0.2

Claims: A method for reducing formation of alkyleneglycol di(meth)acrylate during the distillation of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates prepared by the iron catalyzed reaction of (meth)acrylic acids with alkylene oxides, characterised by conducting the distillation in the presence of an effective amount of one or more catalyst deactivating additive selected from: (a) unsubstituted and substituted alkyl and aralkyl, mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof; (b) alkoxy, alkyl, halo and aryl substituted aryl, mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof; (c) C₃ to C₁₀ vicinal diols which may, optionally, be substituted; (d) o -substituted phenols which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl and carboxymethyl, and, when further substituted, the substituent(s) is/are selected from alkoxy, alkyl, halo and aryl; (e) o -substituted polyaromatic alcohols which may, optionally, be further substituted; (f) unsubstituted and substituted diglycolic anhydrides; and (g) poly(meth)acrylic acids. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additive(s) is/are selected from: (a) unsubstituted and substituted, C₄ to C₂₀ alkyl and C₇ to C₂₀ aralkyl, mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof, which, when substituted, are substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl; (b) C₆ to C₁₀ aryl, mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof, which are substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl; (c) C₃ to C₁₀ vicinal diols which may, optionally, be substituted with from one to four substituents selected from hydroxy, C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl; (d) o -substituted phenols which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl and carboxymethyl; (e) o -substituted polyaromatic alcohols which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl, carboxy and carboxymethyl; (f). unsubstituted and substituted diglycolic anhydrides which, when substituted, are substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl; and (g) polyacrylic acids. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the additive(s) is/are selected from: unsubstituted and substituted, C₄ to C₂₀ monocarboxylic acids, and anhydrides and mixed anhydrides thereof; and o -substituted phenols, which may, optionally, be further substituted with from one to four substituents selected from C₁ to C₄ alkoxy, C₁ to C₄ alkyl, halo and aryl groups, and wherein the o -substituent is selected from hydroxy, hydroxymethyl and carboxymethyl. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the additive(s) is/are selected from stearic acid, lauric acid, catechol, and 3-methoxycatechol. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the additive is catechol. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the additive(s) is/are admixed with the hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylate in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent, preferably from about 0.75 to about 1.0 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction mixture obtained from the preparation of the hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the additive(s) is/are added to the hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates prior to the distillation. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein any insoluble materials present, after admixing the additive, are removed prior to distillation. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate is hydroxyethyl acrylate. Use of a catalyst deactivating additive as defined in any of claims 1 to 5 for reducing the formation of alkylene glycol di(meth)acrylate during the distillation of hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates prepared by the iron catalyzed reaction of (meth)acrylic acids with alkylene oxides.

Inventors: MC DADE CHRISTINE, PHADKE MAKARAND DATTATRAY, WEIR WILLIAM DAVID, MC DADE, CHRISTINE, PHADKE, MAKARAND DATTATRAY, WEIR, WILLIAM DAVID
Applicants: ROHM & HAAS, ROHM AND HAAS COMPANY
Application year: 1992
Main classification: C07C67
IPC codes: C07C69, C07C67