Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of phenols and alpha-alkyl styrenes

摘要

Phenols are obtained by splitting a cumylphenol compound of formula wherein Ar1 and Ar11 are aromatic hydrocarbon ring systems optionally substituted by C1- 3- alkyl groups and R1-R5 are H or CH3, in presence of an aluminium phenate as catalyst. The cumylphenol compound may be present in distillation residues obtained in the production of phenol and ketone from a cumene hydroperoxide compound. The process is preferably applied to the production of phenol from p-cumylphenol, but m and p-cresol, resorcinol and betanaphthol are also mentioned.ALSO:Alpha-alkylstyrenes are obtained by splitting a cumylphenol compound of formula wherein Ar1 and Ar11 are aromatic hydrocarbon ring systems optionally substituted by C1-3-alkyl groups and R1-R5 are H or CH3, in presence of an aluminium phenate as catalyst. The cumylphenol compound may be present in distillation residues obtained in the production of phenol and ketone from a cumene hydroperoxide compound. The process is preferably applied to the production of alpha-methylstyrene from p-cumylphenol, but the production of alpha, meta-dimethylstyrene, alpha, para - dimethylstyrene, 2 - isopropenyl-naphthalene and isobutenyl benzene is inferred.