Page 100 - Chemical and process design handbook

Speight_Part II_A 11/7/01 3:16 PM Page 2.41

ALLYL ALCOHOL 2.41
carbon dioxide and, after removal of the carbon dioxide, the unreacted
gases are recycled to the reactor.
In the second step, the hydrolysis, which is an equilibrium reaction of
allyl acetate, an acid catalyst is used and the reaction takes place at 60 to
o
80 C and allyl alcohol is selectively produced in almost 100 percent yield.
Acetic acid recovered from the hydrolysis process, is reused in the first
step.
Allyl alcohol forms an azeotropic mixture with water, and the mixture
is a homogeneous liquid. Therefore, to obtain dry allyl alcohol, ternary
azeotropic distillation and dehydration are required.
Allyl alcohol exhibits both bacterial and fungicidal effects and has been
used as such or as a source for derivatives with these effects.