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Sulfolane - Wikipedia, the frecyclopedia Page 2 of 3 <br /> Flash point 165 °C <br /> Autoignition 528 °C <br /> temperature <br /> */(what is this?) (verify) <br /> Except where noted otherwise,data are given for <br /> materials in their standard state(at 25 °C, 100 kPa) <br /> Infobox references <br /> 0- 0 <br /> Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that both the product yield and the lifetime of the catalyst could be <br /> improved by adding hydrogen peroxide and then neutralizing to a pH of roughly 5-8 before <br /> hydrogenation. <br /> Developments have continued over the years, including in the catalysts used. Recently, it was found that <br /> Ni-B/MgO showed superior catalytic activity to that of Raney nickel and other common catalysts that <br /> have been used in the hydrogenation of sulfolene. <br /> Other syntheses have also been developed, such as oxidizing tetrahydrothiophene with hydrogen <br /> peroxide. This first produces tetramethylene sulfoxide, which can then be further oxidized to <br /> tetramethylene sulfone. Because the first oxidation takes place at low temperature and the second at <br /> higher temperature, the reaction can be controlled at each stage. This gives greater freedom for the <br /> manipulation of the reaction,which can potentially lead to higher yields and purity. <br /> Uses <br /> Sulfolane is widely used as an industrial solvent, especially in the extraction of aromatic hydrocarbons <br /> from hydrocarbon mixtures and to purify natural gas. <br /> I <br /> The first large scale commercial use of sulfolane, the sulfinol process, was first implemented by Shell <br /> Oil Company in March 1964 at the Person gas plant near Karnes City, Texas. The sulfinol process <br /> purifies natural gas by removing H2S, CO2, COS and mercaptans from natural gas with a mixture of <br /> alkanolamine and sulfolanc. <br /> Shortly after the sulfinol process was implemented, sulfolane was found to be highly effective in <br /> separating high purity aromatic compounds from hydrocarbon mixtures using liquid-liquid extraction. <br /> This process is still widely used today in refineries and the petrochemical industry. Because sulfolane is <br /> one of the most efficient industrial solvents for purifying aromatics, the process operates at a relatively <br /> low solvent-to-feed ratio, making sulfolane relatively cost effective compared to similar-purpose <br /> solvents. In addition, it is selective in a range that complements distillation; where sulfolane can't <br /> separate two compounds, distillation easily can and vice versa, keeping sulfolane units useful for a wide <br /> range of compounds with minimal additional cost. <br /> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfolane 10/6/2011 <br />