CATALYSTS AND METHODS FOR ALCOHOL DEHYDRATION

• Main Authors: KILOS, BEATA, A, CHOJECKI, ADAM, CIESZLAK, ADAM, S, BARTON, DAVID, G, ELOWE, PAUL, R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.11.2015
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; ADHESIVES; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; DYES; MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FORELSEWHERE; METALLURGY; MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS; MISCELLANEOUS COMPOSITIONS; NATURAL RESINS; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PAINTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; POLISHES; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

Provided is a process for preparing a diaryl ether compound through the dehydration of an aromatic alcohol compound in the presence of a halogenated rare earth element oxide catalyst, providing a reaction vessel having loaded therein a rare earth element oxide; halogenating the rare earth element oxide with a halogen source to form an activated catalyst; and dehydrating an aromatic alcohol compound over the activated catalyst to form the diaryl ether compound, where the halogenating and dehydrating steps occur in the same vessel. The rare earth element oxide is an oxide of a light rare earth element, an oxide of a medium rare earth element, an oxide of a heavy rare earth element, an oxide of yttrium, or a mixture of two or more thereof.