Patent ID: 8558039

Claim:
A process for synthesizing a first nitroalkane and a second nitroalkane, the process comprising: reacting a first feedstock in a reactor with aqueous nitric acid at a reaction temperature of between about 140 degrees Celsius and about 325 degrees Celsius and a reaction pressure of at least about 6.89×10 6 Pascal to produce a first reaction product stream; quenching the first reaction product stream in a cooling system such that the first reaction product stream phase separates into at least a first gas phase, a first oil phase, and a first aqueous phase; absorbing in an absorber water-soluble and oil-soluble components from the first gas phase to form a first hydrocarbon gas stream and a first gas-recovered mixture; forming in a separator a first combined gas-recovered aqueous phase and a first combined gas-recovered oil phase from the first gas-recovered mixture, the first oil phase, and the first aqueous phase; recovering the first nitroalkane from at least one of the first combined gas-recovered aqueous phase and the first combined gas-recovered oil phase; reacting a second feedstock in the reactor with aqueous nitric acid at a reaction temperature of between about 140 degrees Celsius and about 325 degrees Celsius and a reaction pressure of at least about 6.89×10 6 Pascal to produce a second reaction product stream; quenching the second reaction product stream in the cooling system such that the second reaction product stream phase separates into at least a second gas phase, a second oil phase, and a second aqueous phase; absorbing in the absorber water-soluble and oil-soluble components from the second gas phase to form a second hydrocarbon gas stream and a second gas-recovered mixture; forming in the separator a second combined gas-recovered aqueous phase and a second combined gas-recovered oil phase from the second gas-recovered mixture, the second oil phase, and the second aqueous phase; and recovering the second nitroalkane from at least one of the second combined gas-recovered aqueous phase and the second combined gas-recovered oil phase.