GB690149A - Improvements in the production of organic oxygen-containing compounds - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0690149/IV (b)/1> In a process for the production of organic oxygen - containing compounds by adding on carbon monoxide and hydrogen to olefinic compounds while employing as catalysts vaporous cobalt compounds, in particular cobalt carbonyls, which are introduced into the reaction chamber in vapour phase, the vaporous cobalt compounds are produced by the continuous introduction of cobalt or cobalt compounds in finely-divided solid form into an otherwise empty vessel in countercurrent to flowing carbon monoxide or mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen intended for the reaction under increased pressure and at elevated temperature such as are necessary for the formation of the vaporous cobalt compounds. The cobalt or cobalt compounds may be charged to only part of the carbon monoxide or mixture of gases followed by dilution with more synthesis gas. In the drawing cobalt metal or oxide is withdrawn from a pressure-tight reservoir A by means of conveyor worm B operating at constant speed and introduced into the upper end of a high-pressure pipe C heated by heating devices D1 and D2 through which the synthesis gas is led. The cobalt material entering the gas current is converted to volatile cobalt compounds, mainly carbonyl and hydrocarbonyl, which are entrained by the current of synthesis gas and led through the heated pipe connection E into reaction vessel F where the synthesis gas and olefine introduced through the pipe G react to form aldehydes. Any other charging device may be used instead of the conveyer worm, e.g. a constant amount of cobalt material may be allowed to trickle into pipe C by means of a slide or regulatable valve. A second chamber may be arranged above reservoir A which can be independently released from or placed under pressure and from which cobalt material introduced may be emptied through a valve into reservoir A. When the cobalt material in A is almost used up the upper container is opened, freshly filled, placed under pressure and the introduced amount emptied into A. The two reservoirs may alternatively be in parallel. In an example, isobutylene is reacted under pressure with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the apparatus using cobalt oxide as the source of volatile carbonyl compounds to produce isovaleraldehyde. Specification 644,665 is referred to.