PATENT

3791. ----- [VAIL, W.E..]  (E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.).  Producing Carboxylic Acids Such as Propionic Acid.  United States Patent 2,000,053, May 7, 1935; appl. filed Aug. 24, 1931.  Serial No. 559,132; 7 claims (Cl. 260-116).  Chem. Abs., vol. 29, 1935, p. 4027.

Gaseous mixture containing an olefinic hydrocarbon, such as C₂H₄ (for the production of propionic acid) or C₃H₆ (for the production of butyric acid) steam, and CO is passed over a metal compound, such as K₂CO₃, which forms a salt with the carboxylic acid produced (suitably at 300° <700 atm. pressure).

See abs. 2010.