GB729748A - Liquid acetylene - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention comprises a solution of acetylene wherein at least 22 per cent of the weight thereof consists of at least one acetylene solvent which is an aliphatic aldehyde containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms, an aliphatic alcohol containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an aliphatic carboxylic ester containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms, or any mixture thereof, the solvent employed being liquid at -94 DEG C. or below, and the solution is maintained at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of -94 DEG C. or below, and a process for producing dissolved acetylene in which acetylene is dissolved under atmospheric pressure at a temperature of -94 DEG C. or below, in at least 22 per cent of its own weight of at least one acetylene solvent which is liquid at a temperature below -94 DEG C., and the solution is maintained at a temperature below -94 DEG C. during subsequent storing and handling, e.g. in a thermally insulated vessel or in a vessel provided with means for maintaining a temperature below -94 DEG C. As suitable solvents, which may have to be employed as mixtures to remain liquid at -94 DEG C. or below, there may be used aliphatic alcohols containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, aliphatic aldehydes containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms, aliphatic ketones containing 3 to 5 carbon atoms, aliphatic carboxylic esters containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms, halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons containing 2 to 7 carbon atoms, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic ethers (including cyclic ethers) containing 2 to 8 carbon atoms and aliphatic acetals containing 3 to 9 carbon atoms, and a number of solvents in each of the above types are referred to. Liquid carbon dioxide, preferably in admixture with acetaldehyde and methylene chloride, may also be used, the carbon dioxide being subsequently removed from the acetylene with alkaline earth metal oxides. In the examples, acetylene solutions are prepared using methanol, ethanol, propanol, ethyl acetate, methyl formate, acetaldehyde, methylene chloride, a mixture of acetone, ethyl ether and ethyl acetate, a mixture of tetrahydrofuran, acetone and acetaldehyde, a mixture of toluene, acetone and acetaldehyde, a mixture of carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde and methylene chloride, a mixture of acetaldehyde-dimethyl-acetal, acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate, a mixture of formaldehyde-dimethylacetal, ethyl ether and acetone, and a mixture of acetone, ethyl acetate, formaldehyde-dimethylacetal and acetaldehyde-dimethylacetal.