| 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: i. 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 ii. 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. 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 C3 alcohol and/or one or more derivatives thereof, in which the mole ratio of C3 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. |