SHORTLYafter the outbreak of World War II, the country's dire need for synthetic rubber necessitated large-scale production of styrene for GR-S type rubber. In the early part of this program Florite (1, 2), desiccant grade Alabama bauxite, was employed as the catalyst for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene. This naturally occurring bauxite was later replaced by a catalyst manufactured under the auspices of the Rubber Reserve Corporation. This company's research division has investigated various typical bauxites for their catalytic activity in the dehydrogenation reaction, and the results are reported here. Alabama, Arkansas, Demerara, and Suriname bauxites (the last two from South America) were tested. Activated alumina was also included in the program.Test runs were made in the 200-oc. laboratory test unit shown in Figure 1. The unit consists, primarily, of a preheater section for the vaporization of water to steam, the catalyst or reactor chamber, product condenser, liquid-gas separator, and gas meter.Both distilled water and ethylbenzene were fed continuously from one-liter calibrated glass burets by means of a dual proportioning pump. The preheater was made from extra strong a/4-inch iron pipe filled with Vie-mesh cracked porcelain. The catalyst chamber was made from 1-inch, standard stainless steel pipe. Both preheater and catalyst ovens were electrically heated by means of aluminum-bronze cylinders wrapped with chromel A wire, the temperature of each being regulated by a suitable temperature controller. The gas-liquid separator consisted of a oneliter glass separatory funnel, fitted with a two-hole stopper accommodating the condenser outlet line and a gas exit line to the meter.

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