Lower monobasic or dibasic alcohols are produced by the following steps: a) reacting a starting material with a metallic halide (wherein the metal is in the higher of two possible valence states) to obtain a reaction product, a corresponding metallous halide (wherein the metal is in the lower of the two possible valence states) and hydrohalic acid, and b) reacting the reaction product of step (a) and hydrohalic acid with magnesium oxide to form the corresponding lower monobasic or dibasic alkanol; wherein the starting material for forming a lower monobasic alcohol is a lower alkane, from which the corresponding lower alkanol is obtained; and the starting material for forming a lower dibasic alcohol is either a lower alkanol or a lower alkene, from which the corresponding lower glycol is obtained. Two continuous fluidized-bed systems are provided for conducting the necessary reactions.

In a method of converting alkanes to their corresponding alcohols and ethers a vessel comprises a hollow, unsegregated interior defined first, second, and third zones. In a first embodiment of the invention oxygen reacts with metal bromide in the first zone to provide bromine; bromine reacts with the alkane in the second zone to form alkyl bromide; and the alkyl bromide reacts with metal oxide in the third zone to form the corresponding alcohol and/or ether. Metal bromide from the third zone is transported through the vessel to the first zone and metal oxide from the first zone is recycled to the third zone. A second embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment in that metal oxide is transported through the vessel from the first zone to the third zone and metal bromide is recycled from the third zone to the first zone. In a third embodiment of the invention the flow of gases through the vessel is reversed to convert the metal oxide back to metal bromide and to convert the metal bromide back to the metal oxide.

The present invention is directed to methods for converting lower alkanes and alkenes to the corresponding lower alkanols and diols. In the methods of the present invention, a gaseous halogen, preferably bromine, is produced by decomposing a metal halide in a liquid having a melting point below and a boiling point above the decomposition temperature of the metal halide. The preferred liquid is molten, hydrated ferric chloride maintained at a temperature between about 37-280.degree. C. The lower alkane or alkene is halogenated in a gas phase reaction with the produced halogen. The alkyl halide or alkyl dihalide is contacted with a metal hydroxide, preferably an aqueous solution of ferric hydroxide, to regenerate the metal halide and produce the corresponding lower alkanol or diol. The present invention is particularly efficient for converting methane to methanol using ferric bromide to provide the halogen.

Alcohols and/or ethers are synthesized from alkanes by mixing an alkane and bromine in a reactor to form alkyl bromide and hydrogen bromide. The alkyl bromide is directed into contact with metal oxide to form alcohol and/or ether and a metal bromide. The metal bromide is oxidized to metal oxide and bromine, both of which are recycled.

Alcohols, ethers, and olefins are manufactured from alkanes by mixing an alkane and bromine in a reactor to form alkyl bromide and hydrogen bromide. The alkyl bromide only or the alkyl bromide and the hydrogen bromide are directed into contact with metal oxide to form an alcohol and/or an ether, or an olefin and metal bromide. The metal bromide is oxidized to form original metal oxide and bromine, both of which are recycled.