Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of 2-ethyl-n-hexanol and alpha-ethyl caproic acid, the esters thereof and plasticised compositions containing said esters

摘要

Alpha-ethyl caproic acid is obtained by hydrogenating alpha-ethyl beta-propyl acrolein in the liquid phase with hydrogen in such excess as to produce a product consisting mainly of alpha-ethyl hexaldehyde together with 2-ethyl n-hexanol, and not more than 0.5 per cent alpha-ethyl-tetra-propyl acrolein, and oxidizing this product in the liquid phase with molecular oxygen. The 2-ethyl n-hexanol is preferably removed from the hydrogenation mixture before oxidation, e.g. by fractionation. In an example, alpha-ethyl beta-propyl acrolein is hydrogenated with a Raney nickel catalyst in the liquid phase at atmospheric pressure at 50 DEG C. till the mixture contains 20 per cent beta-ethyl n-hexanol, the mixture is fractionated, and the alpha-ethyl hexaldehyde fraction is oxidized with oxygen at 50-70 DEG C. Esters of alpha-ethyl caproic acid and of 2-ethyl-n-hexanol (e.g. phthalate esters) are stated to be useful as solvents or plasticisers, e.g. for polyvinyl chloride. Specification 601,901 is referred to.