Methods, materials, and systems for converting organic acids to alcohols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862663-B2
Application number	US-201514640465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for synthesizing one or more simple alcohols from mixtures including organic acids, water, and a superparamagnetic catalyst exposed to fluctuating magnetic fields under ambient conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for synthesizing an alcohol, the method comprising:
contacting a carboxylic acid with water to form a first mixture;
contacting the first mixture with a superparamagnetic catalyst to form a second mixture, wherein the superparamagnetic catalyst comprises at least one ferromagnetic compound and at least one paramagnetic compound; and
exposing the second mixture to a fluctuating magnetic field to form a third mixture thereby yielding the alcohol,
wherein the method is carried out at ambient conditions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting a carboxylic acid with water comprises contacting acetic acid with water, and
wherein yielding the alcohol comprises yielding one of ethanol or methanol.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting a carboxylic acid with water comprises contacting a dicarboxylic acid with water.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting a carboxylic acid with water to form a first mixture comprises contacting the carboxylic acid with water to form the first mixture having a molar ratio of water to the carboxylic acid of about 1.5:1 to about 4:1.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein yielding of the alcohol depends at least in part on the carboxylic acid and a molar ratio of water to the carboxylic acid.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the second mixture to a fluctuating magnetic field comprises exposing the second mixture the fluctuating magnetic field having a field strength of at least about 1 milliTesla.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the second mixture to a fluctuating magnetic field comprises exposing the second mixture to the fluctuating magnetic field having a fluctuation frequency of about 10 Hz to about 2000 Hz.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the second mixture to a fluctuating magnetic field comprises exposing the second mixture to the fluctuating magnetic field for about 10 minutes to about 30 minutes.

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Thevasahayam Arockiadoss

Classifications

• B01J2219/00909

  using filters · CPC title

• B01J2219/00952

  Sensing operations · CPC title

• B01J2219/0093

  Electric or magnetic energy · CPC title

• C07C29/147 Primary

  of carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• B01J2219/0877

  Liquid · CPC title