GB997825A - Production of chlorinated hydrocarbons - Google Patents

Abstract

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are made by heating feed gases comprising ethylene or a chlorinated ethylene, hydrogen chloride, and molecular oxygen in a zone containing a supported catalyst of the Deacon type containing copper chloride wherein cuprous chloride vapour additional to that derived from the catalyst utilized in the reaction zone is introduced into the reaction zone at a position prior to the catalytic zone. It is preferred to introduce the additional cuprous chloride vapour with the feed gases to the reactor. The partial pressure of the cuprous chloride in the feed gases should approximate to the vapour pressure of the cuprous chloride prevailing in the first portion of the catalytic zone, and this additional cuprous chloride may be added to the feed gases by passing said feed gases over a heated bed containing cupric chloride or cuprous chloride on a support or a heated bed of cuprous or of cupric chloride or by passing the feed gases through a bath containing a molten mixture of cupric and potassium chlorides. The oxychlorination may be carried out over a fixed catalyst bed which may be graded or over a fluidized bed. The examples which also contain comparative data outside the scope of the invention in that the additional cuprous chloride is omitted, describe the following methods of saturating the gases stream with cuprous chloride: crystalline cuprous chloride diluted with glass particles, silica gel impregnated with cupric chloride, cupric chloride supported on alumina and diluted with glass particles, and also containing potassium chloride. Ethylene is converted over a catalyst of copper chloride potassium chloride on activated alumina to 1:2-dichloroethane, and with similar results over a silica gel supported catalyst and vinyl chloride together with hydrogen chloride and air are converted to 1:1:2-trichloroethane over a catalyst of copper and potassium chloride on alumina.