Preparation of titanium derivatives

• US 5,260,466 A
• Filed: 08/10/1992
• Issued: 11/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tioxide Specialties Limited
• Original Assignee: Tioxide Specialties Limited
• Inventors: McGibbon, Graeme
• Primary Examiner(s): Dees, Jose G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAZARIO GONZALEZ, PORFIRIO
• Application Number:
  US07/926,292
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 556/55
• US Class Current: 556/55
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 51/412 by conversion of the acids, their salts, esters or anhydrides with the same carboxylic acid part
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 55/07 Salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 59/08 Lactic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 59/265 Citric acid
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 7/003 without C-Metal linkages

Abstract

A new method for the production of titanium derivatives of carboxylic acids is provided. A liquid or solid carboxylic acid is suspended in an inert liquid diluent in which it is substantially insoluble and reacted with a titanium alkoxide to form a titanium derivative which is also substantially insoluble in the inert diluent.

The invention provides a simple method for the production of titanium compounds which are easily transported and can readily be dissolved in water for use, for example, as catalysts and cross-linking agents.

Claims

1. A method for the preparation of a titanium derivative of a carboxylic acid comprising forming a mixture of a solid or liquid carboxylic acid with an inert liquid diluent and reacting the carboxylic acid in the mixture with a titanium alkoxide so as to precipitate said titanium derivative, said carboxylic acid and said titanium derivative being substantially insoluble in said inert liquid diluent.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the carboxylic acid is selected from the group consisting of oxalic acid, citric acid and lactic acid.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the carboxylic acid is an anhydrous carboxylic acid.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which the carboxylic acid is a hydrated carboxylic acid, the mixture is heated to reflux and water is removed as a co-distillate with a portion of the inert diluent before the carboxylic acid is reacted with the titanium derivative.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which the inert liquid diluent is a hydrocarbon or a chlorinated hydrocarbon.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the inert liquid diluent is selected from the group consisting of chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, benzene, cyclohexane, hexane, heptane and petroleum fractions.

7. A method according to claim 1 in which the titanium alkoxide is derived from an alcohol containing up to eight carbon atoms.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which the titanium alkoxide is selected from the group consisting of titanium tetraethoxide, titanium tetraisopropoxide, titanium tetrabutoxide and titanium tetrakis(2-ethylhexoxide).

9. A method according to claim 1 in which the concentration of the carboxylic acid in the mixture is from 50 to 3000 grams per liter.

10. A method according to claim 9 in which the concentration is from 400 to 600 grams per liter.

11. A method according to claim 1 in which the amount of carboxylic acid used is sufficient to ensure that substantially all the alkoxide groups of the titanium alkoxide are replaced by carboxylic acid groups.

12. A method according to claim 1 in which the carboxylic acid is oxalic acid and the molar ratio titanium alkoxide:

oxalic acid is from 1;

0.5 to 1;

4.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which the molar ratio is about 1:

2.

14. A method according to claim 1 in which the carboxylic acid is citric acid and the molar ratio titanium alkoxide:

citric acid is from 1;

0.5 to 1;

4.

15. A method according to claim 14 in which the molar ratio is from 1:

1 to 1;

1.33.

16. A method according to claim 1 in which the titanium alkoxide is added to the mixture of carboxylic acid and inert liquid diluent.

17. A method according to claim 1 in which the mixture of carboxylic acid and inert liquid diluent is formed by use of ultrasonic agitation.