GB941016A - A process for the preparation of alcohols - Google Patents

Abstract

Alcohols are prepared by the hydrolysis of an alkoxide or aralkoxide of a metal of Group 1, 2 or 3 of the Periodic Table in the presence of a surface active agent. The preferred alkoxides and aralkoxides are those of zinc, aluminium, gallium and magnesium and may be conveniently prepared from the corresponding metal alkyl compound. The preferred alkoxides for use as starting materials are those in which the alkyl groups each contain 6-30 carbon atoms such as those derived from cracked wax and cracked raffinate olefines. The metal alkyls may also be derived from olefins obtained by the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The metal aralkoxides used as starting materials may also be obtained from the corresponding metal aralkyls. The surface active agent used may be anionic, cationic or monionic e.g. fatty acids, soaps, sulphuric acids or salts, alkane sulphonic acids, alkyl aromatic sulphonic acids and their salts, primary, secondary and tertiary amine salts, quaternary ammonium compounds, guanidine and thiuronium salts and preferably condensation products of an alkylene oxide with an alcohol or phenol or fatty acyl alkandamides. The hydrolysis is usually carried out by treating the alkoxide or aralkoxide with an aqueous solution of the surface-active agent. The surface-active agent is preferably present in an amount less than 1% by weight based on the water. In the examples an aluminium alkoxide derived from a mixture of C14-C18 cracked-wax olefines is hydrolysed in the presence of a surface active agent to give a mixture of C14-C18 alcohols. Specifications 645,129, 763,081, 763,824, 770,707, 794,359 and 804,335 are referred to.