US 7,321,072 B2
Process for producing paraxylene by methylating toluene with methanol at a low contacting time
John Paul Breen, Belfast (United Kingdom); Robert Burch, Antrim (United Kingdom); Paul John Collier, Reading (United Kingdom); and Stanislaw Edmund Golunski, Reading (United Kingdom)
Assigned to Johnson Matthey PLC, London (United Kingdom)
Appl. No. 10/545,770
PCT Filed Feb. 18, 2004, PCT No. PCT/GB2004/000648
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jun. 15, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/074219, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 02, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 0303659.7 (GB), filed on Feb. 18, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2006/0264685 A1, Nov. 23, 2006
Int. Cl. C07C 2/66 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 585—467 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for producing para-xylene by the selective methylation of toluene, the process comprising contacting a reactant mixture comprising toluene, methanol and added water, with an oxide modified ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst in a flow reactor at a contact time, between reactant mixture and catalyst, of less than 1 second, wherein the process is carried out at a temperature of from 250 to 500° C.