摘要 |
Process for isolating propylene glycol diacarboxylates in the preparation of propylene oxide by reaction of propylene with a solution of percarboxylic acid in an organic solvent, the boiling point of which is lower than that of the carboxylic acid which corresponds to the percarboxylic acid used as the epoxidizing agent, and higher than that of propylene oxide, separation, by distillation, of the reaction mixture which essentially contains propylene oxide, the carboxylic acid corresponding to the percarboxylic acid used as the epoxidizing agent and one or more of the by-products propyleneglycol, propylene glycol monocarboxylate and propylene glycol dicarboxylate as well as propylene and the organic solvent, into a fraction containing propylene oxide and propylene and a fraction containing the carboxylic acid, the by-products mentioned and the organic solvent and further separation of the fractions into the individual components by distillation. The fraction containing the carboxylic acid, one or more of the by-products propylene glycol, propylene glycol monocarboxylate and propylene glycol dicarboxylate, and the organic solvent is distilled in a column at pressures of 1.5 to 6 bars and with an average residence time of 10 to 90 minutes in the sump. The organic solvent is removed as the top product and the carboxylic acid and the corresponding propylene glycol dicarboxylate is obtained as the sump product. From the sump product the propylene glycol dicarboxylate is isolated in a manner which is in itself known.
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