High caustic coupling process for preparing substituted 2-nitro-2'-hydroxyazobenzenes

Claim 1

A process for the production of a compound of the formula ##STR7## wherein T 7 is hydrogen or chlorine, T 8 is hydrogen, chlorine, lower alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, lower alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, carboalkoxy of 2 to 9 carbon atoms, carboxy or --SO 3 H, T 9 is alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, phenyl, phenyl substituted with alkyl groups, said alkyl groups having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, cycloalkyl of 5 to 6 carbon atoms, carboalkoxy of 2 to 9 carbon atoms, chlorine, carboxyethyl or arylalkyl of 7 to 9 carbon atoms, T 10 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, lower alkoxy of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, aralalkyl of 7 to 9 carbon atoms, chlorine or hydroxyl, and T 11 is hydrogen, which comprises adding an essentially stoichiometric to a small excess amount, relevant to the phenol to be coupled, of an aqueous mineral acid solution of a diazonium salt of an amine of the formula ##STR8## where T 7 and T 8 are defined as above, to a strongly alkaline lower alkanol or aqueous lower alkanol solution of a phenol of the formula ##STR9## where T 9 , T 10 and T 11 are defined as above, containing alkali metal hydroxide in sufficient amount to neutralize completely the acid diazonium salt solution as added and to still provide an excess of hydroxyl ion concentration and to provide a pH value substantially over 11 throughout the coupling reaction in the reaction mixture, wherein the reaction solvent mixture is at least 50% by weight of lower alkanol, while maintaining the reaction temperature between -15° C. and +30° C., and acidifying the reaction mixture to isolate the product.