Patent ID: RE42832

Claim:
A method for reforming hydrocarbons into shorter-chain unsaturated organic compounds, comprising the steps of: a) providing a molten metal bath, said molten metal bath consisting essentially of an elemental metal which can cause cleavage of at least one carbon-carbon bond of a hydrocarbon component of a hydrocarbon-containing feed; b) directing said feed into the molten metal bath at a rate which causes the concentration of carbon in the molten metal bath to be lower than the saturation limit for carbon of said bath at the operating conditions of said molten metal bath, whereby the hydrocarbon component of the feed can exhibit cleavage of at least one carbon-carbon bond of the hydrocarbon component of said feed; and c) establishing and maintaining conditions in said molten metal bath to cause cleavage of at least one carbon-carbon bond of the hydrocarbon component to produce unsaturated organic compounds, as products of said cleavage.