Maleic Acid → 1-Butene

Participants

Reaction Steps

This invention relates to the preparation of esters of maleic acid with monohydric alcohols and to the preparation of monohydric esters of mixtures of maleic acid and fumaric acid. For various reasons maleic in the form of the anhydride is the principal starting material for maleic esters but the principal reason is because the anhydride is the form in which maleic is commercially produced. Maleic anhydride is commercially produced by the oxidation of hydrocarbons such as benzene or butene. Maleic anhydride is obtained by oxidizing the hydrocarbon feed at high temperature and over a suitable catalyst to produce a gaseous effluent of maleic anhydride together with impurities. The gaseous effluent is cooled and scrubbed in water to produce a crude solution of maleic acid. The aqueous solution of maleic acid is then fed to dehydration column in which the maleic acid is dehydrated by contacting with a volatile water insoluble entraining agent such as xylene which does not undergo chemical reaction in the system. The water and entraining agent are removed as overhead vapors and maleic anhydride is removed as bottoms.

Provenance & Evidence