Purification of phenol

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF THE PHENOL IN A CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE DECOMPOSITION REACTION PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING SAID DECOMPOSITION REACTION PRODUCT TO FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION TO REMOVE MOST OF THE LOWER BOILING MATERIALS COMPRISING ACETONE, CUMENE AND A-METHYLSTYRENE AND MOST OF THE HIGHER BOILING MATERIALS COMPRISING ACETOPHENONE AND PHENYL DIMETHYL CARBINOL, AND THEN CONTACTING ANY PHENOL MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO SUCH DISTILLATION, BUT WHICH IS STILL IMPURE IN THAT IT CONTAINS COLOR FORMING IMPURITIES COMPRISING A-HYDROXYCARBONYL COMPOUNDS, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 40* AND 400* C. WITH A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MINERAL ACIDS, STRONG ORGANIC ACIDS AND SOLID SURFACE-ACTIVE CATALYSTS UNTIL SAID A-HYDROXYCARBONYL COMPOUND HAVE CONDENSED WITH PHENOL TO FORM SUBSTITUTED BENZOZFURANM AND EXTRACTIVELY DISTILLING THE TREATED PHENOL MATERIAL IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER UNTIL THE SUBSTITUTED BENZOFURANS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PHENOL MATERIAL AS AN OVERHEAD FRACTION.