Isopropyl Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol (IPO) also known as isopropanol, 2-propanol, dimethylcarbinol, and sec-propyl alcohol, is a
colorless, volatile, and flammable liquid, having a molecular weight of 60.09 and a slight odor resembling a
mixture of ethyl alcohol and acetone. Isopropyl, the lowest member of the class of secondary alcohols, is
generally known as the first petrochemical. Of the lower (C1–C5) alcohols, isopropyl alcohol is third in
commercial production, behind methanol and ethyl alcohol.
2-Propanol is used primarily as a solvent in inks and surfactants. Other applications include its role as an
antiseptic alcohol, as a reaction solvent for cellulose carboxymethyl ether (CMC), in the production of cosmetic
base materials and pesticide carriers, as a source of material for organic synthesis, for washing of a flux used in
soldering electrical circuits, and for removal of water from gasoline tanks in cars.
Industrial production of IPO first started in 1920 by Standard Oil (Exxon) Company followed by Carbide and
Carbon Chemicals (Union Carbide) Corporation in 1921. The Shell Oil Company began production in the
1930s. The indirect hydration, also called the sulfuric acid process, was the only process used worldwide until
ICI started up the first commercial direct hydration process in 1951. Early problems of high corrosion, high
energy costs, and air pollution using the indirect process led to the development of the direct hydration process
in Europe. However, a high purity propylene feedstock is required. In the indirect hydration process, C3-
feedstock streams from refinery off-gases containing only 40–60 wt % propylene was often used.
Indirect Hydration: Indirect hydration is based on a two-step reaction of propylene and sulfuric acid. In the
first step, mixed sulfate esters, primarily isopropyl hydrogen sulfate, but also diisopropyl sulfate, forms. These
are then hydrolyzed, forming the alcohol and sulfuric acid.

A major byproduct in the indirect process is diisopropyl ether, which is formed from reaction of the sulfate
esters with product 2-propanol.

Direct Hydration: The acid-catalyzed direct hydration of propylene is exothermic.

High pressures and low temperatures over an acidic fixed-bed catalyst characterize this process, causing the
exothermic equilibrium reaction to be displaced to the right. Three versions of the direct hydration process are
practiced commercially today.
(i) Low-temperature (130-160°C), high-pressure (8.0 – 10.0MPa) vapor – liquid phase hydration over a
sulfonated polystyrene ionexchange resin catalyst by Deutsche Texaco. The feed, consisting of propene gas and
liquid water, is fed in a supercritical state to the top of a fixedbed reactor and allowed to trickle downward. Feed
containing about 92% propene can be used, resulting in propene conversions of about 75% per pass. About 5%
diisopropyl ether and about 1.5% oxygenates (alcohols) of propene oligomers (hexenes) are formed as
byproducts. This technique requires high pressure equipment, and could suffer from problems of short catalyst
life.
(ii) High-temperature, high-pressure (270-300°C, 20MPa) vapor – liquid hydration of propene over a reduced
tungsten oxide catalyst was developed by Tokuyama Soda. This process utilizes a molar ratio of water to
propene of about 2.5: 1. Water is present in both the gas and liquid phases, which increases conversion (because
equilibrium is shifted farther to the right due to the solubility of 2-propanol in water). This technology requires
high-pressure equipment, but features high propene conversions of 60 – 70% per pass and 2-propanol
selectivities of 98 – 99% based on converted propene. The catalyst must be durable (stable in the presence of
water). The process has low gas-recycle requirements, so propene of only 95% purity can be used.
(iii) ICI developed technology for vapor-phase hydration of propene involving medium to high pressures. This
process uses a WO3 – SiO2 catalyst at 250 °C and 25MPa and it gives yields of about 95 %. In Germany, VEBA
developed a similar hydration process based on a phosphoric acid catalyst supported on SiO2 and operated at
180-260°C and 2.5 – 6.5MPa.Typically, these processes require high propene recycle (less than 10% conversion
per pass) and utility costs are probably high. High purity propene (∼99 %) is required. The phosphoric acid
process is commercial in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Japan.