Catalyst – solid sorbent – or support therefor: product or process – Catalyst or precursor therefor – Metal – metal oxide or metal hydroxide
Patent
1995-08-21
1997-11-11
Wood, Elizabeth D.
Catalyst, solid sorbent, or support therefor: product or process
Catalyst or precursor therefor
Metal, metal oxide or metal hydroxide
502306, 502343, 502353, 568617, 568618, 568620, B01J 2110, C07D29500
Patent
active
056863799
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 371 of PCT/3P94/02098 Dec. 14, 1994.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alkoxylation catalyst, a process for the preparation of the catalyst and a process for preparing an alkoxylate with the use of the catalyst. More particularly, it relates to an alkoxylation catalyst which comprises metal oxides having specific physical properties or chemical composition and a process for the preparation of the catalyst, and a process for preparing an alkoxylate with the use of the catalyst whereby an alkoxylate having a distribution of the number of moles of alkylene oxide added within an extremely narrow range can be prepared with a reduced amount of by-products formed.
2. Description of the Background
Alkylene oxide adducts of compounds containing an active hydrogen atom(s) such as higher alcohols, alkylphenols, primary and secondary alkylamines and fatty acids are useful as surfactants to be incorporated into shampoos, cleansers for tableware, house cleansers, etc. Alternatively, they are also useful as intermediates for the production of the corresponding anionic surfactants through sulfation or carboxymethylation or as intermediates for the production of other industrial products.
The reaction for the addition of an alkylene oxide to a compound containing an active hydrogen atom(s) is usually effected in the presence of an acid catalyst or a base catalyst. Examples of the acid catalysts which have been generally used for this purpose include halides of boric acid, tin, antimony, iron, aluminum, etc., salts of mineral acids such as phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid and metal salts of carboxylic acids such as acetic acid, oxalic acid and carbonic acid. Examples of the base catalyst therefor include hydroxides and alkoxides of alkali metals and lower amines such as diethylamine and triethylamine.
The use of the above-mentioned base catalysts in the preparation of alkylene oxide adducts causes problems because only products having a wide distribution in the number of moles of alkylene oxide added over a wide range can be obtained and the reaction product has a smell due to the starting compound containing an active hydrogen atom(s) remaining therein. Further, the reaction product contains a large amount of adducts having a large number of moles of alkylene oxide added. Therefore, there is another problem that the reaction product has excessively high hydrophilic properties and may not exhibit the desired performance as a surfactant.
When the above-mentioned common acid catalysts are used in the preparation of alkylene oxide adducts, the amount of the starting compound containing an active hydrogen atom(s) remaining in the reaction product can be reduced. In this case, however, by-products such as dioxane and polyalkylene glycols, which are not desirable for attaining high qualities, are formed in large amounts. In addition, such an acid catalyst exerts a corrosive action on metals, which brings about another problem, i.e., the necessity for heavily equipped reaction facilities.
It has been disclosed that when the reaction for the addition of ethylene oxide or propylene oxide to a compound containing an active hydrogen atom(s) is effected with the use of a certain catalyst, the obtained alkoxylate has a distribution of the number of moles of alkylene oxide added within a narrow range.
As such catalysts, there have been proposed, for example, oxide and hydroxide of barium, oxide and hydroxide of strontium, calcium compounds, fired hydrotalcite containing magnesium and aluminum as the main components (see Australian Patent Publication-A No. 89-33349, published on Oct. 26, 1989) and magnesium oxide containing. Al, Ga, Ca, Sc, etc. added (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,012, published on Apr. 30, 1991; Assignee: LION CORP.).
It is also known that reaction products which are obtained by using these catalysts and have a distribution of the number of moles of alkylene oxide added within a narrow range are advantageous in physical properties and qualities,
REFERENCES:
patent: 4375564 (1983-03-01), Edwards
patent: 5104987 (1992-04-01), King
patent: 5112788 (1992-05-01), King
patent: 5191104 (1993-03-01), King
Imanaka Tatsuhiro
Kono Jun
Nagumo Hiroshi
Tamaura Hiroyuki
Tanaka Toshihiro
Kao Corporation
Wood Elizabeth D.
Yildirim Bekir L.
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