| abstract |
An oxidative halogenation process involving contacting methane, a C1 halogenated hydrocarbon, or a mixture thereof with a source of halogen and a source of oxygen, at a molar ratio of reactant hydrocarbon to source of halogen in a feed to the reactor greater than 23/1 , and/or at a molar ratio of reactant hydrocarbon to source of oxygen in a feed to the reactor greater than about 46/1; in the presence of a rare earth halide or rare earth oxyhalide catalyst, to produce a halogenated C1 product having at least one more halogen as compared with the C1 reactant hydrocarbon, preferably, methyl chloride. The process can be advantageously conducted to total conversion of source of halogen and source of oxygen. The process can be advantageously conducted with essentially no halogen in the feed to the reactor, by employing a separate catalyst halogenation step in a pulse, swing or circulating bed mode. The production of methyl halide can be integrated into downstream processes for manufacture of valuable commodity chemicals. |