Appeal No. 1996-2320
Application 08/221,224
rejection of claim 1. Claims 2-15, which are the only other2
claims remaining in the application, have been indicated
allowable by the examiner.
THE INVENTION
Appellant’s claimed invention is directed toward a
process for making a product consisting essentially of alkane
sulfonic acid and/or alkane sulfonyl chloride in a continuous
reactor containing stationary mixing elements to promote plug
flow. Claim 1, which is the only claim on appeal, reads as
follows:
1. A process for the preparation of a product
consisting essentially of alkane sulfonic acid, alkane
sulfonyl chloride or mixtures thereof comprising continuously
reacting a compound of the formula RSX, where X is hydrogen or
1 1
a radical of the formula-SR and R and R are alkyl groups
having one to 20 carbon atoms, with at least a stoichiometric
amount of chlorine in a reaction zone free of moving,
mechanical agitating means and containing aqueous hydrochloric
acid at a reactant feedrate at least sufficient to achieve a
vigorous evolution of hydrochloride gas, passing the contents
of said reaction zone through, and in contact with stationary
mixing elements to promote plug-flow, withdrawing
hydrochloride gas, and separately withdrawing said product
from the reactor.
2The board has jurisdiction as discussed in Ex parte
Lemoine, 46 USPQ2d 1432 (Bd. Pat. App. & Int. 1995).
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