PATENT

3536. ----- [STANDARD OIL CO.]  Production of Alcohols by the Catalytic Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds.  British Patent 666,066, May 19, 1948.  British Abs., B, II, 1952, p. 580.

Improved yields of alcohols are obtained from the hydrogenation of C_7-9 carbonyl compounds using NiS and WS₂ catalysts under the following conditions: Temperature 400°-450° F., liquid feed rate 0.5-1.0 vol. per vol. per hr. and catalyst age of < 1,500 hr. and then distilling off the alcohols.  The carbonyl compounds used are produced by the Oxo synthesis from olefins, CO, and H₂ and are 95-100% converted by hydrogenation. for example, an oxygenated material produced by treating olefinic C₇-hydrocarbon feed-stock of b. p. 180°-210° with H₂ and CO in the presence of Co oleate catalyst at 325°-375° F. and 2,800-3,200 p. s. i.  is hydrogenated in fixed-bed batch operation using a catalyst of NiS 90 and WS₂ 10 wt. %.  In a run designed to give complete hydrogenation, under the following conditions: 410° F., 2,700 p. s. i., liquid feed rate, 1.01 vol. per vol. per hr.: and catalyst age, 760 hr., distillation of products gives unconverted olefin feed (< 215°), 18.4; cracked products (215°-265°), 3.6; unhydrogenated carbonyl compounds (265°-340°), 2.0; alcohols (340°-370°), 60.6; and bottoms, 15.4%.