The catalytic pyrolysis of citric acid to itaconic and citraconic acids

✍ Scribed by Askew, F. A. ;Tawn, A. R. H.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1950
• Weight: 308 KB
• Volume: 69
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0368-4075
• DOI: 10.1002/jctb.5000690401

✦ Synopsis

The yield of itaconic and citraconic acids obtained by laboratoryscale pyrolysis of anhydrous citric acid can be markedly increased by var~ous catalysts. The best catalyst of those examined was K,HPO,, which, at 5% of the citric acid used, increased the yield of mued acids from 267L to 64O& theoretical at 2 8 0 ' ~. There is some indication that the relative'proponion of citraconic and itaconic acids is intluenced by the catalyst ; AlPO, yields a higher proportion of itaconic than K,HPO, but a lower total yield. Each positive catalyst appears to have a morc or less strongly marked optimum temperature in the range 24c-z70° c. Increase in batch size, investigated using K,HPO,, was found to diminish the yield.