Process for preparing metaalkylphenols

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PREPARING M-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING P-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL WITH PHENOL, IN A MOLAR RATIO OF FROM 1:0.5 TO 1:3 RESPECTIVELY, IN THE PRESENCE OF SULPHURIC ACID AND ACTIVATED CLAY, AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 125* C., TO EFFECT CONVERSION OF A PORTION OF SAID P-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL TO M-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL, HEATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF META AND PARA ISOMERS WITH A MONOCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FROM 0 TO 2 METHYL SUBSTITUENTS, IN AMOUNTS SUCH THAT THE MOLAR RATIO OF SAID AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TO THE PARA ISOMER IN SAID MIXTURE OF ISOMERS IS FROM ABOUT 1:1 TO ABOUT 10:1, IN THE PRESENCE OF DEALKYLATION CATALYSTS COMPRISING ABOUT 2% OF SULPHURIC ACID AND ABOUT 16% OF ACTIVATED CLAY, SAID PERCENTAGES BEING CALCULATED BY WEIGHT WITH RESPECT TO TOTAL WEIGHT OF ALKYLPHENOL PRESENT, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 50* TO ABOUT 200*C., REMOVING SAID DEALKYLATION CATALYSTS, AND SEPARATING BY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION A FRACTION RICH IN M-TERT-BUTYLPHENOL.