Hydroxylation of aromatic compounds

Abstract

Abstract 1. PROCESS FOR HYDROXYLATING AN AROMATIC COMPOUND OF THE GENERAL FORMULA: R1-PHENYLENE-O-R IN WHICH R AND R'', WHICH ARE IDENTICAL OR DIFFERENT, EACH REPRESENT A HYDROGEN ATOMS OR A ALKYL RADICAL HAVING 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, WHEREIN THE AROMATIC COMPOUND IS TREATED AT 20-150* C. WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE MOLECULAR RATIO OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO THE AROMATIC COMPOUND IS BELOW 0.3:1, IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF METAL IONS AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A STRONG ACID HAVING A PK H2O VALUE BELOW -0.1 AND WHICH IS STABLE TO OXIDATION BY HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, THE AMOUNTS OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND STRONG ACID BEING SUCH THAT THE RATIO OF THE AMOUNT OF ACID, EXPRESSED IN PROTON EQUIVALENTS, TO THE NUMBER OF MOLECULES OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TAKING PART IN THE REACTION IS 1X10**-4:1 TO 1:1, THE CONTENT OF WATER IN THE REACTION MEDIUM BEING INITIALLY BELOW 20% BY WEIGHT OF THE AROMATIC COMPOUND/WATER/HYDROGEN PEROXIDE MIXTURE, AND WHEREIN THE HYDROXYLATION IS CARRIED OUT IN THE PRESENCE OF A COMPLEXING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUPS CONSISTING OF A PHOSPHORIC ACID, AN ALKYL ACID PHOSPHATE, A CYCLOALKYL ACID PHOSPHATE AND A BENZYL ACID PHOSPHATE.

Inventors

• 👤 F Bourdin
• 👤 M Costantini
• 👤 M Jouffret
• 👤 G Lartigau

Bibliographic Details