Production of diisopropylbenzene by disproportion of cumene in the presence of a TEA-mordenite catalyst

• Main Authors: CADE WALTER R, SANTIESTEBAN JOSE GUADALUPE, BRYAN FRANCIS S, WEBER WILLIAM A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.10.2008
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; GENERAL METHODS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

A process for the disproportionation of cumene is disclosed which comprises the step of contacting a feed containing cumene, under disproportionation conditions, with a catalyst comprising a molecular sieve, preferably TEA-mordenite. The contacting step disproportionates at least part of the cumene in the feed to provide a disproportionation effluent containing benzene and a mixture of diisopropylbenzene isomers. The effluent is then recovered and contains, prior to any separation step, less 1% of ortho-diisopropylbenzene by weight of the total diisopropylbenzene content of said effluent, less than 1 wt % of n-propylbenzene, less than 5 wt % of triisopropylbenzenes and less than 5 wt % of disproportionation products other than benzene and diisopropylbenzenes.