abstract |
A process for producing triptane and/or triptene from methanol and/or one or more derivatives thereof, and optionally one or more further alcohols and/or derivatives thereof at a temperature in the range of from 150 to 400°C, in the presence of a zeolite catalyst having Brønsted acidity, in which all the carbon atoms in the triptane and/or triptene are derived from the methanol and/or one or more derivatives thereof and the optional further alcohols and/or derivatives thereof, the zeolite catalyst being selected from: ni. zeolites having frameworks comprising silicon and aluminium atoms at a Si:Al mole ratio of greater than 2, which zeolites also have a channel structure comprising a ring size of 12 or more non-oxygen atoms in 2 or 3 dimensions; and nii. zeolites having frameworks comprising silicon and aluminium atoms, and which have a framework ring comprising 12 or more non-oxygen-atoms accessible on the external surface of the zeolite and a pore structure in which all of the channels have a ring-size of less than 12 non-oxygen atoms. n There is also described a process for producing triptane and/or triptene wherein the zeolite catalyst is zeolite X, the reaction composition additionally comprises a C 3 alcohol and/or one or more derivatives thereof, in which the mole ratio of C 3 alcohol : methanol present in the reaction composition, or derivable from the one or more derivatives thereof present in the reaction composition, is greater than 0.23 : 10, and the temperature of the process is in the range of greater than 200° to 400°C. |