Vinyl Acetate from Ethylene and Acetic Acid over Palladium-Gold

Vinyl acetate, the monomer for PVA wood glue, is made by oxidising ethylene and acetic acid together with oxygen in the gas phase, over a palladium-gold shell catalyst in steam-heated tube reactors at 150–160 °C and 8–11 bar. About 92 % goes to vinyl acetate; the rest burns. A few ppm of hydroquinone keeps it from forming explosive peroxides in air. The picture: our diagram of reactor, condenser and column.