GB639435A - Improvements in or relating to the production of ethyl chloride - Google Patents

Abstract

A continuous process for the production of ethyl chloride comprises reacting 3 to 5, preferably 5, volumes of ethane with 1 volume of chlorine at 450 DEG to 500 DEG C. with a contact time of from 0.3 to 1.0, preferably 0.3 to 0.5 secs., removing ethylene from the reaction gases by conversion to ethylene dichloride by passing the gaseous reaction products with an amount of chlorine equal to the molar equivalent of the ethylene present through a subsidiary reactor at 15 DEG to 70 DEG C. containing an additive chlorination catalyst comprising cupric chloride and active alumina, with a contact time of at least 3 secs., subsequently isolating ethyl chloride and recycling unreacted ethane. With the higher ethane/chlorine ratios it is necessary to preheat the reactants before entering the main reactor. The recycle gas preferably contains 5 to 10 per cent of ethylene and up to 2-5 per cent by volume of ethyl chloride. A small amount of propylene may be present in which case allyl chloride, propylene dichloride and isopropyl chloride are also obtained. Oxygen should not be present. The products of the reaction which are normally unreacted ethane, hydrogen chloride, ethyl chloride and a small p amount of dichloroethanes are treated by conventional methods for removal of hydrogen chloride, dried and separated by distillation. In examples: (1) the ethylene content of the make-up ethane is reduced below 1 per cent by a preliminary treatment with chlorine in the presence of a cupric chlorideactive alumina catalyst and then chlorinated with 13,300 parts of chlorine in the main reactor with an ethane/chlorine ratio of 5/1 volumes at approximately 450 DEG C. and then with 800 parts of additional chlorine in the subsidiary reactor at 15 DEG C. to yield ethyl chloride, ethylene dichloride and ethylidene dichloride; in (2) the ethane is heated to 100-105 DEG C. before mixing with chlorine and passing to the main reactor conditions and products otherwise being the same except that 28,850 parts of chlorine were reacted in the main reactor and 1700 parts of chlorine reacted in the subsidiary reactor. Specification 338,742, [Class 2 (iii)], is referred to.