Technology for advanced materials, catalysts and organic pollutant destruction

N19

Non-sulphuric Acid Route to Nitrobenzene

Technology for Advanced Materials, Catalysts and Organic Pollutant Destruction

Recently, there has been a lot of new Catalytica

and

Microfluidics

tional have announced develop

and

a collaboration

commercialize

using a Microfluidizer

produce

will benefit from

proprietary

technology

submicron-size

Microfluidizer

technology

solid state ma-

The collaboration

Microfluidic’s

particles.

to The

systems are used in a wide

variety of applications

irnthe chemical pro-

cessing,

pharmaceutical,

cosmetic

and food industries.

biotechnology,

As part of the collaboration, Microfluidics

and

to

device for the pro-

duction of nanometer-size terials

Interna-

licensed technology

developed

nitrobenzene,

without the need for concen-

trated sulphuric

acid. A recent Canadian

Patent Application

[2,084,387]

from Ueti-

kon AG, with H. W. Kouwenhoven, tea, and R. Prins as inventors, several clear examples over acid mordenites. mordenite

was

of this chemistry

converted

to

pressure,

benzene

and 65% HN03 were

sion of benzene into nitrobenzene

wide

that a

range of solid s’tate materials

more

effectively

particle size and high-

with Microfluidizer

Microfluidics

Polytechnic

have filed patent applications

collaboration research metal media, ductors

proved

catalysts,

zeolites, piezoelectric and organic

partners

those

The

these areas of

and will focus initially on mixed

oxide

catalysts,

The

will advance

intend

applications materials

manufacturing

supported

metal

ceramics,

magnetic

dlevices,

supercon-

,waste destruction. to

commercialize

that demonstrate performance

economics.

Transfer Hydrogenation with Nitriles

sys-

Institute and

in the USA and in other countries.

JOHN N. ARMOR

with

phase purity can be made efficiently and tems. Worcester

ranged

MA, USA. Pro-

has demonstrated

uniform, nanometer

Naam-

fed over the catalysts for 3-20 h. Converfrom 79 to 76% at 99% selectivity.

Moser

the

monium form and then to the proton form

by Profes-

nic Institute in Worcester,

L. Berprovides

A commercial

sor William Moser of Worcester Polytechfessor

nitration

of benzene with HN03 or NO, to produce

(using 6 M HCI). At 443 K and atmospheric Catalytica exclusively

have

literature on, the direct, gas-phase

im-

and better

F.J. Weigert of Du Pont has described in a recent US patent (No. 5 237 088) the transfer

hydrogenation

amines.This

of

nitriles

with

can be applied to the reduc-

tion of simple nitriles with simple amines or to dinitriles and diamines. a typical proved

catalyst

Raney nickel is

and the rates are im-

by use of solvent.

For example,

with 5 cm3 of 50% dimethylaminopropionitrile and octylamine,

using 4.4 g of Raney

nickel at 100°C ,he obtained 6% octanenitrile at 46 % conversion

of octylamine

after

60 min. With 2 cm3 of 50% hexylamine/octylnitrile, 3.5 g of Raney nickel at 85°C with 20 cm3 of MTBE for 60 min, only 8 mol-% of the hexylamine octylamine

remained, with 53 mol-%

produced.

After many hours

with 10 cm3 of a 1: 1 molar mixture of adi-

applied catalysis A: General

Volume 107 No. 2 -

6 January 1994