Process for preparation of thiols using a benzopinacol initiator

Claim 1

The process of forming a primary thiol which comprises reacting at a temperature in the range 50°-150° C an ethylenically unsaturated compound, said unsaturation being in the terminal or pendant position or a combination thereof, with a thiolcarboxylic acid of the general formula: ##STR7## wherein R is phenyl or an alkyl radical containing 1-6 carbon atoms in the presence of 0.01-5% by weight of the ethylenically unsaturated compound and the thiolcarboxylic acid, of an initiator comprising a pinacol of the general formula: ##STR8## wherein R 1 and R 3 are aromatic radicals of the structure --C 6 H 4 Z, where Z is independently selected from the group consisting of H, Cl, Br, I, alkyl, aryl, and alkoxy; and R 2 and R 4 are members independently selected from the group consisting of R 1 and R 3 (as defined above), alkyl, aralkyl, alkoxyalkyl, haloalkyl and R 2 and R 4 together form a cycloalkyl group; and X and Y are members independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, alkoxy and aryloxy to obtain a thiol ester and, thereafter, hydrolyzing said thiol ester with an alkali metal hydroxide to obtain the corresponding primary thiol.