Patent GB-535210-A (GB)
Title: Process for producing and recovering branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbons
IPC: C07C1/20
Filed: 1939-06-28
Abstract: 535,210. Aliphatic branched chain hydrocarbons. OCON, E. A. June 28, 1939, Nos. 18787/39 and 6919/40. [Class 2 (iii)] Aliphatic branched chain hydrocarbons are produced from straight-chain oxygen containing aliphatic compounds by reaction with a catalyst which is dehydrating and/or hydrogenating, in the presence of an alkaline compound. The starting materials for the process of the present invention are alcohols, aldehydes and acids, containing up to 12 carbon atoms in the molecule, or mixtures of these which are obtained in the treatment of mineral hydrocarbons and cracked products. The catalysts used comprise an oxide or oxides of the metals of group 1 (b), 2 (b), 6, 7 and 8, or metals or oxides of metals of group 6, 7, and 8 mixed with less than their weight of an oxide or oxides of metals of group 3, 4, and 5. The term alkaline compound, includes the hydroxides, carbonates, and fatty acid salts of sodium and potassium. The reducing gas preferably contains an excess of hydrogen. The products from the reaction are fractionally distilled. The low boiling fraction is a source of antiknock motor fuel ingredients, and can be further hydrogenated to obtain complete saturation to form an aviation fuel, or mildly polymerized to increase their molecular weight. The intermediate condensate is preferably extracted with an alcoholic solvent to remove unconverted oxy-hydrocarbons, and so yield a product which possesses too high a boiling point for use as a motor fuel, but which is useful in the production of high quality lubricants. These intermediate fractions may be polymerized in the vapour phase at about 250‹C. with the aid of catalysts such as sulphuric and phosphoric acids, the sulphates of magnesium, aluminium and calcium, aluminium phosphate, magnesium pyrophosphate, magnesium ortho phosphate, calcium ortho-phosphate, activated alumina, ortho phosphoric acid on pumice, and phosphorus pentoxide on pumice. The products of this polymerization may be fractionated with advantage in the original fractionation zone with the vapours from the hydro-isomerization. In cases where the low boiling hydrocarbons require improvement by saturation, they may be treated with hydrogen at about 200‹F. in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel or nickel oxide on a carrier such as clay, alumina, or magnesia. Catalysts particularly mentioned for saturating isooctenes, and iso-heptenes is metallic copper produced by careful dehydration and reduction of the hydroxide precipitated by alkaline compounds, such dehydration being carried out.in the presence of promotors such as ceria, beryllium oxide, zinc oxide or chromium oxide. The iso-aliphatic hydrocarbons of higher boiling range than gasoline, which are produced by the process of the invention may be used to produce lubricating oils by interpolymerization with materials obtained by the selective extraction of lubricating oil constituents with a low polar solvent. The solvents used for this purpose include carbon tetrachloride, ketones such as diacetone, aliphatic ethers and esters. The constituents so extracted comprise mainly cyclic and unsaturated hydrocarbons. The interpolymerization is preferably conducted in the presence of such known polymerizing agents as Friedel Crafts reagents of the type of anhydrous aluminium chloride and boron fluoride. In an example a mixture of straight chain alcohols obtained by hydration of C  2  to C  5 olefins with 80 per cent. sulphuric acid was reduced with a gas composed of two parts of hydrogen and one part carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst composed of pumice impregnated with zinc oxide and potassium carbonate. The products of the reaction were fractionally distilled. Specification 485,123 is referred to.