Effect of the alkyl chloride-to-aluminum molar ratio in the catalysts of dec-1-ene oligomerization on the product distribution and the chlorine content in the products

Abstract

Dec-1-ene oligomerization in the presence of an aluminum—1-dodecyl chloride system was studied. A mixture of low-molecular-weight oligodecenes containing 25–40 wt.% dimers and 30–52 wt.% dec-1-ene trimers is formed at the molar ratios RCl/A1 = 0.5–1.5. The oligomerization was assumed to occur under the action of cationic active sites, which are formed during the reaction of 1-chlorodedecane with aluminum. At temperatures of 120–130°C and molar ratios RCl/A1 = 0.5–1.5 metallic aluminum completely dechlorinates 1-chlorododecane in a dec-1-ene medium. The character of the effect of highly dispersed Al and the RCl/A1 molar rato on the fractional composition and chlorine content in oligodecenes was revealed. The latter are formed by an aluminum—tert-butyl chloride system used in the industrial oligomerization of dec-1-ene. A mechanism of Al dissolution by alkyl chlorides with the simultaneous dechlorination of alkyl chloride and formation of cationic active sites in A1-RCl systems was proposed to explain the results obtained.