High pressure pyrolysis of n-heptane

Pyrolysis of n-heptane was investigated in a tubular reactor in the temperature range of 793–953 K and pressure range of 0.1–2.93 MPa. At all conditions, the main products were methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene and 1-hexene. With an increase in pressure, the selectivities of hydrogen, methane, ethylene and propylene decreased and that of propane, n-butane and 1-butene increased. To explain the product distribution at high pressure, the Rice–Kossiakoff theory was modified by including the bimolecular reactions of alkyl radicals with the parent hydrocarbon. The initial product selectivities, calculated using the modified R–K mechanism, were in good agreement with the experimental selectivities. The overall kinetics of n-heptane pyrolysis was determined by non-linear analysis. The optimum values of the kinetic parameters at each pressure were determined by minimizing the difference between the calculated and experimental conversions. At each pressure, the reaction order was close to unity and the activation energy ranged between 209 and 219 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Separation of hydrocarbon and sulfur-containing gases on a new poly-(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)/poly-(1-phenyl-1-propyne) mixed stationary phase in the presence of water

The separation of hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, ethylene, and propylene) and sulfur-containing gases (hydrogen disulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbonyl sulfide) on a new mixed stationary phase poly-(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne)/poly-(1-phenyl-1-propyne) in the presence of water has been studied by gas chromatography. It has been demonstrated that the new mixed stationary phase outperforms the known polymeric adsorbents and stationary phases by resolution, asymmetry factor, and column efficiency.     

Effect of methane co-feeding on the selectivity of ethylene produced from oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane with CO2 over a Ni-La/SiO2 catalyst

A Ni-La/SiO₂ catalyst was prepared through the incipient wetness impregnation method and tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE) with CO₂. The fresh and used catalysts were characterized by XRD and SEM techniques. The Ni-La/SiO₂ catalyst exhibited catalytic activity for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, but with low ethylene selectivity in the absence of methane. The selectivity to ethylene increased with increasing molar ratio of methane in the feed. The carbon deposited on the catalyst surface in the sole ODHE with CO₂ was mainly inert carbon, while much more filamentous carbon was formed in the presence of methane. The filamentous carbon was easy to be removed by CO₂, which might play a role in improving the conversion of ethane to ethylene. The introduction of methane might affect the equilibrium of the CO₂ reforming of ethane and the ODHE with CO₂. As a consequence, the synthesis gas produced from CO₂ reforming of methane partly inhibited the reaction of ethane and promoted the ODHE with CO₂, thus increasing the selectivity of ethylene.     

Concentration and temperature dependences of the liquid-vapor separation factor for ammonia with impurities of hydrocarbons and permanent gases

The phase equilibria for systems of ammonia-impurity (oxygen, nitrogen, methane, propane, ethane, n-butane, isobutane, propylene, carbon monoxide) were examined and concentration and temperature dependences of a separation factor, which are required for deep purification of ammonia used in the production of energy-efficient LEDs, were determined between liquid and vapor for the systems in a region of low concentrations of an impurity at an elevated pressure.     

Excited states and photochemistry of saturated molecules. Minimal plus Rydberg basis set calculations on the vertical spectra of CH4, C2H6, C3H8, and n-C4H10

Basis sets consisting of STO4G plus a set of one s and three p Rydberg functions are developed for methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane. These basis sets are then used to predict the vertical electronic spectra for the same four molecules using a limited CI. The results are found to be in reasonable agreement with experiment and with more sophisticated calculations on ethane and propane.     

Proton pulse radiolysis

A 5 Me V proton accelerator has been used for pulse radiolysis of organic gases. The transient spectra obtained from the alkanes methane, ethane, propane, n-butane and neopentane have tentatively been assigned to alkyl radicals. Some methodological aspects of this new technique are discussed.     

Reactions of 12C+ with hydrocarbons at 296 K:carbon-carbon bond formation

Rate constants and product distributions have been determined for the ion-molecule reactions between ¹²C⁺ and methane, ethane, propane, ethylene, propylene, allene, acetylene, propyne and benzene. The measurements were carried out with the SIFT technique at a temperature of 296 ± 2K. The results provide insight into the build-up of carbon skeletons to form C⁺_n+1 ions and other competing modes of reaction at room temperature.     

Gas and vapor transport properties of amorphous perfluorinated copolymer membranes based on 2,2-bistrifluoromethyl-4,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxole/tetrafluoroethylene

Teflon AF 2400 (Du Pont) is an amorphous, glassy perfluorinated copolymer containing 87 mol% 2,2-bistrifluoromethyl-4,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxole and 13 mol% tetrafluoroethylene. The polymer has an extremely high fractional free volume of 0.327. Permeability coefficients for helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, methane, ethane, propane, and chlorodifluoromethane (Freon 22) were determined at temperatures from 25 to 60°C and pressures from 20 to 120 psig. Permeation properties were also determined at a feed pressure of 200 psig at 25°C with a 2 mol% n-butane/98 mol% methane mixture. Permeabilities of permanent gases in Teflon AF 2400 are among the highest of all known polymers; the oxygen permeability coefficient at 25°C is 1600 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ (STP) cm/cm² s cmHg and the nitrogen permeability coefficient is 780 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ (STP) cm/cm² s cmHg. The permeabilities of organic vapors increase up to 20-fold as the vapor activity increases from 0.1 to unity, indicating that Teflon AF 2400 is easily plasticized. Although Teflon AF 2400 is an ultrahigh-free-volume polymer like poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) [PTMSP], their gas permeation properties differ significantly. Teflon AF 2400 shows gas transport behavior similar to that of conventional, low-free-volume glassy polymers. PTMSP, on the other hand, acts more like a nanoporous carbon than a conventional glassy polymer.     

Alkane oxidation by the H2O2-NaVO3-H2SO4 system in acetonitrile and water

A simple system is described, which oxidizes saturated hydrocarbons either in acetonitrile or (less efficiently) in water. The system consists of 50% aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant, sodium metavanadate, NaVO₃, as a catalyst and sulfuric (or oxalic) acid as a co-catalyst. The reactions were carried out at 20-50 °C. In the oxidation of cyclohexane in acetonitrile, the highest yield (37% based on cyclohexane) and turnover number (TON=1700) were attained after 3 h at 50 °C. The corresponding parameters were 16% and 1090 for n-heptane oxidation under the same conditions. The oxidation of higher alkanes, RH, in acetonitrile gives almost exclusively the corresponding alkyl hydroperoxides, ROOH. Light alkanes (n-butane, propane, ethane, and methane) have been also oxygenated by the system under consideration. The highest TON (200) was attained for ethane and the highest yield (19%) was obtained in the case of n-butane. The selectivity parameters measured for the oxidation of linear and branched alkanes are low, the reaction with cis- and trans-1,2-dimethylcyclohexanes is not stereoselective. These facts lead us to conclude that the oxidation occurs with the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the crucial step.     

Regioselective alkane oxygenation with H2O2 catalyzed by titanosilicalite TS-1

Titanosilicalite TS-1 catalyses oxidation of light (methane, ethane, propane and n-butane) and normal higher (hexane, heptane, octane and nonane) alkanes to give the corresponding isomeric alcohols and ketones. The oxidation of higher alkanes proceeds in many cases with a unique regioselectivity. Thus, in the reaction with n-heptane the CH₂ groups in position 3 exhibited a reactivity 2.5 times higher than those of the other methylene groups. This selectivity can be enhanced if hexan-3-ol is added to the reaction mixture, the 3-CH₂/2-CH₂ ratio becoming 10. It is assumed that the unusual selectivity in the oxidation of n-heptane (and other higher alkanes) is due to steric hindrance in the catalyst cavity. As a result, the catalytically active species situated on the catalyst walls can only easily react with certain methylenes of the alkane, which is adsorbed in the cavity taking U-shape (hairpin) conformations.     

Synthesis and gas permeation properties of poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne)

Poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne) [PMP] is an amorphous, glassy, di-substituted acetylene-based polymer. PMP has a low density of 0.78 g/cm³ and a high fractional free volume of 0.28. The permeabilities for helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane were determined at temperatures from 20 to 65°C and pressures from 10 to 150 psig. PMP is the most permeable purely hydrocarbon-based polymer known; its permeabilities are only exceeded by poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) [PTMSP] and poly(1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne) [PTMGeP]. The oxygen permeability of PMP at 25°C is 2700 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³(STP) cm/cm² s cmHg and the nitrogen permeability is 1330 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³(STP) cm/cm² s cmHg. The high gas permeabilities in PMP result from its very high free volume, and probably, interconnectivity of the free-volume-elements. For a glassy polymer, PMP exhibits unusual organic vapor permeation properties. Permeabilities in PMP are higher for large, condensable gases, such as n-butane, than for small, permanent gases such as helium. The permeabilities of condensable gases and permanent gases decrease as the temperature is increased. This behavior is completely unexpected for a glassy polymer and has been observed previously in only high-free-volume glassy PTMSP.     

Macrochain configuration, stucture of free volume and transport properties of poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) and poly(1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne)

The relationship between poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) and poly(1-trimethylgermyl-1-propyne) (PTMGP) microstructure, gas permeability and structure of free volume is reported. n-Butane/methane mixed-gas permeation properties of PTMSP and PTMGP membranes with different cis-/trans-composition have been investigated. The n-butane/methane selectivities for mixed gas are by an order higher than the selectivities calculated from pure gas measurements (the mixed-gas n-butane/methane selectivities are 20?C40 for PTMSP and 22?C35 for PTMGP). Gas permeability and n-butane/methane selectivity essentially differ in polymers with different cis-/trans-composition. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy investigation of PTMSP and PTMGP with different microstructure has determined distinctions in total amount and structure of free volume, i.e. distribution of free volume elements. The correlation between total amount of free volume and gas transport parameters is established: PTMSP and PTMGP with bigger free volume exhibit higher n-butane permeability and mixed-gas n-butane/methane selectivity. Such behavior is discussed in relation to the submolecular structure of polymers with different microstructure and sorption of n-butane in polymers with different free volume.     

Transport properties of methane,ethane, propane, <Emphasis Type="Italic">iso</Emphasis>-butane and <Emphasis Type="Italic">neo</Emphasis>-pentane from ab initio potential energy surfaces

In this work, the potential energy surfaces for methane, ethane, propane, iso-butane and neo-pentane, obtained from the ab initio calculations via different levels of electron-correlation, were used in the framework of the kinetic theory to calculate the transport collision integrals and their corresponding low-density transport coefficients. The theoretical results are compared with the available experimental data and the effective scaling potential parameters of methane, ethane, propane, iso-butane and neo-pentane along with the kinetic theory collision integrals and higher order correction factors were obtained. Relation between different potentials and kinetic theory collision integrals are discussed and it was shown that the Mason–Monchick approach is a reliable approximation in the calculation of diffusion coefficients and shear viscosities of chain alkanes, whereas the full predictive Boltzmann weighting method is successful only for lighter alkanes, such as methane and ethane.     

Vapour pressure and excess Gibbs free energy of binary mixtures of hydrogen sulphide with ethane, propane, and n-butane at temperature of 182.33 K

The vapour pressure of binary mixtures of hydrogen sulphide with ethane, propane, and n-butane was measured at T = 182.33 K covering most of the composition range. The excess Gibbs free energy of these mixtures has been derived from the measurements made. For the equimolar mixtures for (H₂S + C₂H₆), (820.1 ± 2.4) J · mol⁻¹ for (H₂S + C₃H₈), and (818.6 ± 0.9) J · mol⁻¹ for (H₂S + n-C₄H₁₀). The binary mixtures of H₂S with ethane and with propane exhibit azeotropes, but that with n-butane does not.     

Polymers of C1?C4 paraffin hydrocarbons from an RF discharge: Characterization and reactivity

The polymers deposited from mixtures of argon and the vapors of methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane subjected to excitation in a 30-MHz discharge have been analyzed by infrared absorption techniques and for elemental composition. The polymers show unsaturation, crosslinking, and branching. The stability of the polymers to atmospheric oxidation is discussed.     

Conversion of hydrocarbon gases in dielectric barrier discharge in the presence of water

The conversion of C₁–C₄ hydrocarbons into gaseous and liquid products in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma in the presence of water has been studied. The formation of a deposit on the electrode surface is prevented by introducing water in the liquid state into a gaseous hydrocarbon stream, a finding that has been confirmed by IR spectroscopic study of the electrode surface. Hydrogen and C₂₊ hydrocarbons have been detected among the gaseous products of conversion, the liquid products being represented by C₆–C₁₀₊ alkanes. The total liquid products have amounted to 13.4, 26.0, or 36.6% for the methane, propane, or n-butane conversion, respectively. A 10% propane or butane admixture to methane increases the yield of the liquid products to make 22.0 and 31.7% for the methane–propane and the methane–butane mixture, respectively.     

Ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization with TiCl4/MgCl2/AlCl3 catalyst in the presence of hydrogen

A TiCl₄/AlCl₃/MgCl₂ (Cat-B) catalyst containing 5.2 wt.% Al was prepared by the reaction of TiCl₄ with ethanol adduct of AlCl₃/MgCl₂ mixture. A TiCl₄/MgCl₂ catalyst (Cat-A) without doped AlCl₃ was also prepared by the same method. Ethylene-1-hexene copolymerization catalyzed by Cat-B in the presence of hydrogen showed slightly higher efficiency and higher 1-hexene incorporation than Cat-A. Comonomer incorporation was markedly increased when the cocatalyst AlEt₃ was replaced by Al(i-Bu)₃. Adding Ph₂Si(OMe)₂ as external donor in the catalyst system caused decrease in polymerization activity and 1-hexene incorporation. Each copolymer sample was fractionated into three fractions: n-heptane insoluble fraction (fraction A), n-heptane soluble and n-hexane insoluble fraction (fraction B) and n-hexane soluble fraction (fraction C). In most cases the amount of intermediate fraction (fraction B) was smaller than the other fractions and did not increase as the total 1-hexene content increase, indicating the presence of two classes of copolymer fractions with greatly different comonomer content and clear bimodality of the copolymer composition distribution. Doping AlCl₃ in the catalyst, changing cocatalyst and adding external donor mainly changed the weight ratio of fraction A to fraction C, but exerted little influences on their composition. According to the sequence distribution data of the fractions, doping AlCl₃ in the catalyst resulted in slight decrease of product of reactivity ratios (r₁r₂) in both fraction A and fraction C.     

C2 and C3 hydrocarbon separations in poly(1,5-naphthalene-2,2′-bis(3,4-phthalic) hexafluoropropane) diimide (6FDA-1,5-NDA) dense membranes

The transport of olefin and paraffin namely ethane, ethylene, propane and propylene in aromatic poly(1,5-naphthalene-2,2′-bis(3,4-phthalic) hexafluoropropane) diimide (6FDA-1,5-NDA) dense membranes was investigated. The gas permeability coefficients were measured at pressures from 2.5 to 16 atm for the C₂ hydrocarbon gases and pressures up to 8.4 atm for C₃ systems at 35 °C. This membrane exhibits permeabilities of 0.15, 0.87, 0.023 and 0.24 Barrer with respect to pure ethane, ethylene, propane and propylene, and shows an ideal selectivity of 5.8 for the separation of ethylene/ethane, 10 for propylene/propane, 7.6 for nitrogen/ethane and 50 for nitrogen/propane. The olefins showed a preferred permeability to paraffins and discussion were drawn to the permeability, diffusivity and solubility coefficients. The activation energies of permeation, diffusion and solution were also reported and the effect of temperature on the permeation properties was discussed for the pure gas permeability data obtained from 30 to 50 °C. The plasticisation effect was also found for propane and propylene, respectively, although it was neither detected in the saturated nor unsaturated C₂ hydrocarbons at pressures up to 16 atm.     

CO2选择氧化低碳烷烃的研究进展

本文以低碳烷烃的选择催化氧化反应为对象，对几种CO₂选择氧化低碳烷烃的反应工艺进行了归纳总结，重点分析讨论了催化氧化反应中CO₂作为氧化剂的作用机制，并提出了研究展望。     

Copolymerization of ethylene and 1-hexene with TiCl4/MgCl2 catalysts modified by 2,6-diisopropylphenol

A supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst without internal electron donor (O-cat) was prepared firstly. Then it was modified by 2,6-diisopropylphenol to make a novel modified catalyst (M-cat). These two catalysts were used to catalyze ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization and 1-hexene homopolymerization. The influence of cocatalyst and hydrogen on the catalytic behavior of these two catalysts was investigated. In ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization, the introduction of 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-groups did not deactivate the supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst. Although the 1-hexene incorporation in ethylene/1-hexene copolymer prepared by M-cat was lower than that prepared by O-cat, the composition distribution of the former was narrower than that of the latter. Methylaluminoxane (MAO) was a more effective activator for M-cat than triisobutyl-aluminium (TIBA). MAO led to higher yield and more uniform chain structure. In 1-hexene homopolymerization, the presence of 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-groups lowered the propagation rate constants. Two types of active centers with a chemically bonded 2,6-iPr2C6H3O-group were proposed to explain the observed phenomena in M-cat.