Process for making tertiary butyl phenols

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR REACTING DIISOBUTYLENE WITH A PHENOL IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACID-ACTIN CONDENSING AGENT TO FORM A CORRESPONDING TERTIARY-BUTYLPHENOL PRODUCT, THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING ONE MOLECULAR PROPORTION OF DIISOBUTYLENE INTO ADMIXTURE WITH AT LEAST 3 MOLECULAR PROPORTIONS OF A PHENOL HAVING A HYDROGEN ATOM ATTACHED TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE CARBON ATOMS OF THE AROMATIC NUCLEUS ORTHO AND PARA TO THE HYDROXYL GROUP AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE OF FROM 100* TO 150* C. IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST MIXTURE COMPOSED OF AT LEAST ONE IRON HALIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF FERRIC CHLORIDE, FERRIC BROMIDE, FERROUS CHLORIDE AND FERROUS BROMIDE, AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO FROM 0.58X10-4 TO 19X10-4 MOLE OF THE IRON HALIDE PER MOLE OF THE PHENOL STARTING MATERIAL AND A HYDROHALIC ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN CHLORIDE AND HYDROGEN BROMIDE, AN AMOUNT CORRESPONDING TO AT LEAST 2.6X10-3 MOLE OF THE HYDROHALIC ACID PER MOLE OF SAID PHENOL, THEREAFTER TREATING THE MIXTURE WITH AN ALKALI IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO NEUTRALIZE THE CATALYST AND SUBJECTING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION TO SEPARATE THE TERTIARY-BUTYLPHENOL PRODUCT TEREFROM.