Ammonia → Ethylparaben

Participants

Reaction Steps

A reaction tube having an inside diameter of 5 cm was filled with 350 g of a supported catalyst containing 3.85% by weight of boron phosphate (P2O5 /B2O3 mole ratio=1) deposited on the same silica carrier as in Example 1. Ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate, ammonia and steam were introduced into the reaction tube at a rate of 38.6 g/hr, 263.2 g/hr, and 41 g/hr, respectively, and reacted in the vapor phase at 400° C. The mole ratio of ammonia, steam and ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate in the gaseous mixture was 66.6:9.8:1, and the contact time was 9.4 seconds. When the reaction was continued for 204 hours, 5.363 kg of p-hydroxybenzonitrile was obtained from 7.784 kg of ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate. The yield was 95.0% by weight. Gas chromatographic analysis showed that only 2.1% by weight of phenol was formed as a by-product. The amount of p-hydroxybenzonitrile obtained per part by weight of the supported catalyst was more than 15.3 parts by weight.

Provenance & Evidence