Patent GB-800721-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to sweetening sour hydrocarbon distillates
Inventor: CHENICEK JOSEPH ALBERT
IPC: C10G27/12
Filed: 1956-03-05
Abstract: A sour hydrocarbon distillate, particularly gasoline, is sweetened by contacting it in the presence of an oxidizing agent with a sweetening agent which is also an oxidation inhibitor and a carboxylic acid salt of an amine, said salt having at least 20 carbon atoms per molecule and being soluble in the hydrocarbon distillate.  The salt is preferably a polybasic carboxylic acid salt of an alkalene polyamine. The salt may be the neutral, acid or basic salt.  Amines which may be used in preparing the salt are methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, amyl and hexyl amines, N-substituted alkyl amines, cycloalkyl amines, cycloalkyl diamines, cycloalkyl triamines, N-substituted cycloalkylamines, aniline, N-substituted anilines, phenylene diamines, phenylene triamines, N-substituted phenylene polyamines, alkylene polyamines, e.g. ethylene, propylene, butylene, amylene and hexylene diamines; diethylene, dipropylene and dibutylene triamines; and tetraethylene, tetrapropylene and tetrabutylene pentamines, alkyl alkylene polyamines of formula R-NH-R1-NHR11, where R1 is an alkylene radical and R and R11 are hydrogen or alkyl groups at least one of them being an alkyl group, e.g. one derived from tallow, coconut oil or soya oil; or may be C1-C13, C15, C16 or C18-C20 alkyl groups. Carboxylic acids used in forming the amine salt may be mono or polybasic, e.g. formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valerie, trimethyl acetic, oxalic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, itaconic, mesaconic, citraconic, glutaconic, caproic, heptylic, caprylic, adipic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, sebacic, phthalic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic, behenic, lignocoric, cerotic, decylenic, doodecylenic, palmitoleic, oleic, ricinoleic, petroselinic, vaccenic, linoleic, clinolenic, eleostearic, licanic, parinaric, tariric, gadoleic, arachiodonic, cetoleic, erucie, selacholic, aconitic, citric, gluconic, hemimellitic, trimellitic, brimesic, prehnitic, mellophanic, pyromellitic, mellitic, tall oil and polymerized linoleic acids. From 0.0001 to 5 per cent of the salt may be used.  The inhibitor may be an aromatic diamine such as a phenylene diamine. Phenylene diamines referred to are various N,N1-dialkyl-p-phenylene diamines, where the alkyl group is C3-C20 alkyl and may be straightchain or branched; examples are also given in which the 2 alkyl groups are different. Other aromatic diamines referred to are ortho-amino, ortho-isopropyl amino, ortho sec-butylamino, ortho-sec-amylamino, o-sec-hexylamino, o-secheptylamino, o-sec-octyl amino, o-sec-nonylamino, o-sec-decylamino, o-sec-undecylamino and o-sec-dodecylamino diphenyl amines.  From 0.0001 to 1 per cent of the amine may be used. Oxidizing agents referred to are air, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, or peroxides or permanganates. The distillate may be pretreated with an alkaline reagent to remove a major proportion of the mercaptans therefrom; also the sweetening may be carried out in the presence of up to 5 per cent of an alkaline reagent.  Alkaline reagents specified are aqueous solutions of sodium and potassium hydroxides.  Distillates referred to are straight run or cracked gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel fuel, gas oil, burner oil and lubricating oil; the treatment of thermally and catalytically cracked gasoline and thermally cracked kerosene is described.