Cumeno

Nombre IUPAC
Isopropilbenceno
Otros nombres isopropilbenceno
Fórmula estructural Imagen de la estructura
Fórmula molecular C9H12
Cumeno es el nombre utilizado comúnmente para el isopropilbenceno, un compuesto químico
clasificado entre los hidrocarburos aromáticos. Se encuentra en el petróleo y en algunos de sus
productos derivados, como algunos combustibles. Se utiliza en la síntesis de algunos detergentes
y, principalmente, en la fabricación de fenol y acetona mediante la obtención previa de
hidroperóxido de cumeno.

El cumeno es un líquido, aromático penetrante, incoloro e inflamable. Su temperatura de

inflamación es de 44 °C en copa cerrada y 25 °C en copa abierta; su temperatura de autoignición
es de 424 °C; y cuando su concentración en presencia de oxígeno está entre 0,88% y 6,5%.

Presión de vapor: 8 mmHg (a 20 °C)

Densidad relativa: 0,86 g/cm³ (a 15 °C)
Densidad relativa de los vapores: 4,1 (aire=1)

Es soluble en alcohol, éter, benceno y acetona. Es insoluble en agua.

Producción

La producción comercial de cumeno se lleva a cabo a través de un catalizador de alquilación de

benceno, con la adición de propileno. Puede usarse como catalizador el ácido fosfórico
solidificado sobre alúmina, conforme se hacía hasta mediados de los años 1990, cuando alcanzó
mayor auge la catálisis basada en zeolitas.3

Obtención de cumeno a partir de benceno y propileno, usando ácido fosfórico como catalizador.
Cumene
Published August 2016
Cumene is produced from benzene and propylene, accounting for 20% of benzene demand and
4% of propylene demand. Cumene is made primarily for phenol and acetone production.
Phenol/acetone production consumes approximately 98% of all cumene globally, so cumene
demand is very closely tied to the phenol market. Cumene can also be used as a blending
component in the gasoline pool, especially as a way to avoid benzene restrictions in gasoline.
When cumene and its feedstocks become undervalued relative to energy, gasoline blenders can
use cumene as a blending component, since it has a high octane rating. The use of cumene as a
blending component will occur when its price falls below its alternate octane value.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of cumene:

Phenol is used mostly to make BPA, phenol-formaldehyde resins, and nylon-KA oil. Nearly half
of global phenol consumption is for the production of BPA; BPA, in turn, is driven primarily by
demand for polycarbonate resins. Polycarbonate has been a rising market over the past few years,
keeping steadily above GDP growth rates; this market is expected to continue to grow at almost
3% per year in the next five years. The second-largest market for phenol is the production of
phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins, which accounted for about 28% of phenol demand in 2015; PF
resins are used mainly in the construction industry. Nylon-KA oil is the third-largest market for
phenol, making up about 13% of the global market.
Regionally, the largest cumene market is Northeast Asia (43%), followed by North America and
Western Europe (22% each). The Middle East will be one of the fastest-growing markets, with
consumption increasing at an average annual rate of almost 15%, driven by the Petro-Rabigh
plant addition in 2017. Capacity is expected to grow even faster, at an average annual growth
rate of approximately 18.5% to 2020. However, the cumene market is driven by phenol market
dynamics and the new capacity additions for cumene/phenol/acetone planned for the next five
years will exceed the expected demand growth and cause operating rates to drop from 98% to
83%.