A process for the conversion of ethylene to vinyl chloride, and novel catalyst compositions useful for such process

摘要

A process for the dehydrohalogenation of halogenated alkanes involving contacting a halogenated alkane having three or more carbon atoms with a rare earth halide or rare earth oxyhalide catalyst under process conditions sufficient to prepare an alkene or halogenated alkene. The process converts low valued halogenated alkanes, which are by-products of industrial chlorination processes, into higher valued alkenes and halogenated alkenes. 1,2-Dichloropropane, for example, can be dehydrochlorinated predominantly to allyl chrloride and 1-chloropropene with little production of low value 2-chloropropene. 1,2,3-Trichloropropane can be dehydrochlorinated predominantly to 1,3-dichloropropene which is useful in soil fumigants.