Acetic acid and acetyl chemicals

This chapter outlines the acetyl chemicals family which includes acetic acid, acetaldehyde, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride, and vinyl acetate. It traces the manufacture of acetic acid and its use in a wide range of end-products, such as vinyl acetate, acetate esters, as a solvent specifically for the oxidation of p-xylene to terephthalic acid, and in food and pharmaceutical applications. It also talks about processes used for the production of acetic acid and the acetyl chemicals which involve homogeneous catalysis by transition metal ions or complexes. The chapter describes the reaction of acetaldehyde with acetic anhydride. This affords ethylidene diacetate, which can be thermally de-acetylated to form vinyl acetate with the elimination of acetic acid. The chapter finally refers to alkane oxidation, which is a radical chain process and main propagation that does not need to involve the metal ion.