PRODUCTION OF CYCLIC ACETALS OR KETALS USING SOLID ACID CATALYSTS

摘要

A process for making a cyclic compounds such as cyclic acetal or cyclic ketones by feeding aldehyde or ketone compounds and polyhydroxyl compounds to a reaction zone at a molar ratio of polyhydroxyl compounds to aldehyde or ketone compounds of at least 3:1, reacting these compounds in the presence of a solid acid such as an acidic ion exchange resin, to generate a liquid reaction mixture without separating water from the reaction mixture as it is being formed in the reaction mixture, withdrawing the liquid reaction mixture from the reaction zone as a liquid product stream, and feeding the liquid reaction product stream to a distillation column to separate cyclic acetal compounds from unreacted polyhydroxyl compounds, and optionally recycling back the unreacted polyhydroxyl compounds to the reaction zone. The process produces cyclic acetal compounds in yields of at least 90% with long catalyst life. The process is also suitable to make cyclic ketals from ketone compounds.

主权项

1. A liquid composition comprising water, polyhydroxyl compounds, and cyclic acetal compounds, each in the following mole percentages based on the moles of all liquids in the composition:
a) water: at least 2 mole % b) polyhydroxyl compounds: at least 50 mole % c) cyclic compounds: at least 2 mole %wherein the liquid composition optionally contains carbonyl compounds which, if present, do not exceed 20% of the number of moles of cyclic compounds, and wherein the cumulative amount of any other liquid ingredient in the liquid composition does not exceed 10 mole %, and wherein the cyclic compounds comprise cyclic acetals, cyclic ketals, or a combination thereof.