1608. ------. [I. G. FARBENINDUSTRIE, A. G.] [Unsaturated Hydrocarbons and Hydrogen.] British Patent 269,547. Apr. 15. 1926. Chem. Abs., vol. 22, 1928. p. 1364.

CH₄ or other saturated hydrocarbons are subjected to a treatment suitable for producing unsaturated hydrocarbons, and the residual gases are converted into a mixture containing CO and H₂ by treatment with steam or O₂ or both with or without a catalyst. In the first stage of the process an electric arc or incomplete combustion may be employed as described in British Patent 264,845 (abs. 1216) and British Patent 265,234 (abs. 1318). C₂H₂ may be produced from CH₄ and H₂ in an electric arc, the C₂H₂ may be absorbed in C, and the residual gas may be brought to a temperature of about 1,100º by preheating and partial combustion and then passed with steam over a catalyst containing Ni and Al₂O₃ to obtain C oxides and CH₄. CH₄ may be subjected to incomplete combustion and the product containing C₂H₂, passed at 700º over SiO₂ coated with graphite to produce C₆H₆: residual gases are saturated with H₂O vapor, preheated, subjected to partial combustion, and passed together with steam over a catalyst of Ni and MgO to obtain an impure mixture of CO and H₂, which may be freed from CO₂ and H₂S and then used to make MeOH.