Preparation of hydroquinone

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING HYDROQUINONE FROM BENZENE IN A SINGLE ELECTROLYTIC CELL HAVING AN ANODE AND A CATHODE SEPARATED BY AN ION-PERMEABLE MEMBRANE WHICH COMPRISES A. ANOLYZING A DISPERSION OF BENZENE PHASE IN AQUEOUS A. ANOLYTE AT THE ANODE ELECTRODE, THEREBY PRODUCING BENZENE ENRICHED WITH QUINONE WHILE B. SIMULTANEOUSLY CATHOLYZING A DISPERSION IN AQUEOUS CATHOLYTE OF BENZENE PHASE ENRICHED WITH QUINONE AT THE CATHODE ELECTRODE, THEREBY PRODUCING A BENZENE PHASE OF LOWERED QUINONE CONTENT AND AQUEOUS CATHOLYTE PHASE ENRICHED WITH HYDROQUINONE, C. SEPARATING THE BENZENE PHASE ENRICHED WITH QUINONE FROM THE AQUEOUS ANOLYTE AND DISPERSING IT IN THE AQUEOUS CATHOLYTE, D. SEPARATING THE BENZENE PHASE OF LOWERED QUINONE CONTENT FROM THE AQUEOUS CATHOLYTE PHASE AND DISPERSING IT IN THE AQUEOUS ANOLYTE, AND E. RECOVERING HYDROQUINONE FROM AN AQUEOUS PHASE, WHEREIN THE AQUEOUS CATHOLYTE CONTAINS AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF A REDOX COUPLE, WHICH CAN BE CONVERTED FROM THE REDUCED TO THE OXIDIZED FORM AT A STANDARD POTENTIAL AT LEAST AS POSITIVE AS 0.7 VOLTS, IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO ACCELERATE THE REDUCTION OF QUINONE TO HYDROQUINONE, THE COUPLE COMPRISING AN OXIDIZED AN A REDUCED FORM WHEREIN A. BOTH THE OXIDIZED AND REDUCED FORMS ARE SOLUBLE IN THE CATHOLYTE, B. THE OXIDIZED FORM IS ELECTROCHEMICALLY REDUCIBLE TO ITS REDUCED FORM, AND C. THE REDUCED FORM IS CAPABLE OF CHEMICALLY REDUCING QUINONE TO HYDROQUINONE AND THEREBY BE CONVERTED TO THE OXIDIZED FORM.