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Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime to ϵ‐Caprolactam in a Microreactor
Author(s) -
Zuidhof N. T.,
de Croon M. H. J. M.,
Schouten J. C.,
Tinge J. T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201100550
Subject(s) - cyclohexanone oxime , microreactor , caprolactam , micromixer , selectivity , chemistry , beckmann rearrangement , cyclohexanone , microchannel , mixing (physics) , oxime , chemical engineering , photochemistry , organic chemistry , catalysis , materials science , nanotechnology , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
The selectivity and conversion of the sulfuric acid‐catalyzed Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime, dissolved in cyclooctane, to ϵ‐caprolactam are determined in a microreactor for conditions with a high concentration of ϵ‐caprolactam. The microreactor consists of a low‐temperature mixing zone followed by a high‐temperature reaction zone. The mixing is conducted in a split‐and‐recombine micromixer and a microchannel at 65 °C, followed immediately by a second microchannel at 100–127 °C to obtain complete conversion. Under these conditions a selectivity of 99 % is achieved. The residence time of the reactants in the microreactor setup is about 10 s. In literature, a selectivity of about 95 % for the same reaction in a similar setup is reported, but at a uniform temperature of 120–130 °C for mixing and reaction. So, suppressing the reaction during mixing is a major tool to enhance the selectivity to ϵ‐caprolactam.