The present invention relates to a process for the synthesis of glycerol from formaldehyde.

Glycerol is a valuable raw material for the production of various esters, printing inks, foodstuffs, in antifreezes, as a moistening agent in tobacco and in soaps and for producing nitroglycerine.

Hitherto glycerol has been produced from animal and vegetable oils and fats, in which it occurs as the glyceryl ester of mainly palmitic, stearic and oleic acids, by hydrolysis or hydrogenolysis. Glycerol is also obtained in large quantities as a by-product in the manufacture of soap, and this is still a commercial source of glycerol. Another method of preparing glycerol is the fermentation of glucose to which sodium sulphite has been added (the yield is 20-25%) Glycerol can also be produced from propylene which is converted to allyl chloride, thereafter into allyl alcohol, then into a monochlorohydrin which is finally hydrolysed into glycerol.

A new process is to add osmium tetroxide and hydrogen peroxide to acraldehyde; this produces glyceraldehyde which is then catalytically hydrogenated to glycerol. Thus, apart from two relatively expensive and complicated synthetic routes, the primary commercial source of glycerol is still as a by-product from soap and fatty alcohol manufacture.

^■ Matsumoto, T. et al in Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1984, 106, pp 4829-4832 describe a method of synthesising dihydroxy acetone from formaldehyde (as paraformaldehyde)

catalysed by 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide in the presence of triethylamine in ethanol at 100'C. ICI's USP 4024193 describes, amongst others, hydrogenation of dihydroxy acetone to glycerol using a homogeneous catalyst system comprising a ruthenium triphenyl phosphine complex and a strong acid. The source of the dihydroxyacetone used as feedstock is not disclosed,

Ve have now surprisingly found that glycerol can be produced from formaldehyde in a single step in a liquid reaction medium.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for the production of glycerol from formaldehyde which process comprises reacting at elevated temperature formaldehyde in a liquid reaction medium with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst system comprising as essential components (i) a thiazolium or imidazolium salt, (ii)-a proton abstractor, and (iii) a compound or mixture containing (a) a rhodium or ruthenium moiety and optionally (b) a moiety of the formula XR3 wherein X is either phosphorus, nitrogen, arsenic or antimony and the groups R are independently either hydrogen or hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl groups.

The process of the present invention offers advantages over the prior art synthetic route in that it is relatively simple and economical.

Formaldehyde may be added in monomeric, oligomeric or polymeric form. In monomeric form it may be added either as formaldehyde gas or as a solution of formaldehyde in an organic solvent, suitably an alkanol, for example methanol, ethanol or propanol, or a mixture thereof. A suitable solution of formaldehyde in an organic solvent is that conventionally referred to as "alcoform ¹ '. In oligomeric form, formaldehyde may be added as trioxan. In polymeric form, formaldehyde may be added in the form of the solid, paraformaldehyde.

Hydrogen is readily available on a commercial scale. It may be used in a commercially available form or may, if desired, be further purified. The hydrogen partial pressure may suitably be in the range from 0.1 to 300 bar absolute, preferably from 1 to 50 bar absolute.

Hydrogen containing other gases inert under the reaction conditions, for example carbon monoxide, may also be used in the process of the invention. Although carbon monoxide may not have a chemical effect on the reaction, it may have a physical effect related to its contribution to the total pressure of gases in the system which in turn may affect the product distribution. Other inert gases, for example methane, may also be present.

The component (i) in the catalyst system may be an aliphatic, aromatic or a heterocyclic thiazolium salt or an imidazolium salt. Specific examples of such salts include the halides, especially the bromide and iodide salts. Of these the 3-methyl benzothiazolium iodide, 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide, 3-isopropyl benzothiazolium bromide, 3-ethyl thiazolium bromide, thiamine thiazolium chloride and 1-methyl 3-ethylbenzimidazolium bromide are specific examples. A salt bound to a polymeric backbone or oxide support may be used in order to facilitate separation thereof from the reaction products and to facilitate regeneration and thereby reuse of the catalyst.

The proton abstractor (ii) in the catalyst may suitably be an amine, which may be primary, secondary, or tertiary and can be aliphatic, alicyclic, aromatic or heterocyclic or a phosphine, which may be an alkyl or aryl phosphine or a mixture of alkyl/aryl phosphines or such proton abstractors when supported on or immobilized by, for example, an ion-exchange resin or silica. Specific examples of the amines include triethylamine, imidazole, pyridine, pyrimidine, piperazine, amidine- or guanidine-type bases. Specific examples of the phosphines include triphenyl phosphine and triethylphosphine.

The component (iii) of the catalyst is a compound or mixture containing a rhodium or ruthenium moiety (a) and optionally a moiety (b) of the formula XR3 wherein X is either phosphorus, nitrogen, arsenic or antimony and the groups R are independently either hydrogen or hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl groups. Preferably a moiety (b) of the formula XR3 is employed. Preferably X in the formula is phosphorus. The group R in the formula is preferably a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group. Suitable

hydrocarbyl groups include alkyl groups, cycloalkyl groups and aryl groups, which may be substituted or unsubstituted. The component (iii) may suitably combine the moieties (a) and (b) in a single compound, for example as the compound RhCl( Pti3)3 or the compound Ru(H)(0Ac)( Ph3)3. Alternatively, the moieties (a) and (b) may be added in the form of separate compounds, for example as RUCI3 and BPI13. It will be appreciated that the moiety (b) and the proton abstractor may be identical.

The component (iii) of the catalyst, particularly when this takes the form of a single compound, may be supported on a suitable support. Suitable supports include organic polymers, for example polystyrene, inorganic oxide materials, and carbons.

The relative molar ratios of formaldehyde to the catalyst components may vary over a moderately wide range. Again, the molar ratio of formaldehyde to one of the catalyst components (i) or (ii) may vary over a wide range. In a typical catalyst system comprising 3-ethyl benzothiazolium bromide and triethylamine in equimolar proportions, the molar ratio of formaldehyde to the 3-ethyl benzothiazolium bromide can vary, for example from 5:1 to 500:1.

The liquid medium is suitably a solvent capable of dissolving both formaldehyde and, when a non-supported catalyst is used, the catalyst system. Specific examples of the solvents that can be used include the aliphatic alcohols, e.g. ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol and the butanols; esters such as ethyl acetate and ethyl propionate; dioxan; dimethyl sulphoxide; dimethylformamide and mixtures thereof.

The process is operated at an elevated temperature, which may suitably be in the range from 25 to 250*C, preferably from 50 to 150 ^β C.

The process may be operated batchwise or continuously, preferably continuously.

The advantages associated with single step operation, as compared with two-step operation, are self-evident. The principal advantage is the saving in capital cost of equipment arising from

operating the process in a single reactor and avoidance of the requirement for separation apparatus, with associated savings in operating costs.

The process of the invention will now be further illustrated by reference to the following Examples. Example 1

To a Fischer Porter vessel was charged paraformaldehyde (1.8g), 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide (0.73g), triethylomine (0.3g), dimethylformamide (11.8g) and RuCl2(PPh3)3 (0.5g). The vessel was purged and pressurised to 100 psig with hydrogen and then heated with stirring to 100°C for 10 hours. Analysis of the product mixture by gas liquid chroraatography indicated essentially complete conversion of the formaldehyde to 7% dihydroxyacetone and 22% glycerol, with the balance being almost entirely methanol. Example 2

To a Fischer Porter vessel was charged paraformaldehyde (1.8g), 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide (0.73g), 1, 5, 7 triazobycyclo [4, 4, 0] dec-5-ene (0.42g), dimethylformamide (11.8g) and RuCl2(P h3)3 (0.5g). The vessel was purged and pressurised to 100 psig with hydrogen and heated with stirring to 100 ^β C for 10 hours. Analysis of the product mixture by gas liquid chromotography indicated essentially complete conversion of the formaldehyde to 3% dihydroxyacetone and 8.2% glycerol, with the balance being nearly all methanol. Example 3

To a Fischer-Porter vessel was charged paraformaldehyde (1.8g) and methanol (12.5ml). The vessel was purged and pressurised to 30 psig with nitrogen and then heated to 130°C for 15 mins to predissolve the formaldehyde. After cooling, 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide (0.73g), triethylamine (0.3g) and RuCl2(PPh3)3 (0.5g) was added to the mixture. The vessel was again purged and then pressurised to 100 psig with hydrogen. It was heated with stirring to 100°C for 3 hrs. Analysis of the product mixture by HPLC and g.c. showed 0.2% conversion to dihydroxyacetone and 37% conversion to glycerol.

Example 4

To a Fischer-Porter vessel was charged paraformaldehyde (1.8g) and methanol (12.5ml). The vessel was purged and pressurised to 30 psig with nitrogen and then heated to 130'C for 15 mins to predissolve the formaldehyde. After cooling, 3-ethylbenzothiazolium bromide (0.73g), triethylamine (0.3g) and Ru3(C0)χ2 (0-5g) was added. The vessel was again purged and then pressurised with 100 psig of hydrogen and 20 psig CO. It was heated with stirring to 100°C for 3 hrs. Analysis of the product mixture hy HPLC and g.c showed 1.4% conversion to dihydroxyacetone and 18% conversion to glycerol.