Process for the preparation of bisphenol-A using a catalyst based on a sulfonated polystyrene/divinylbenzene copolymer

摘要

A high productivity catalyst for bisphenol-A has been discovered which comprises strongly acidic cation-exchange resin spheres produced from a polystyrene/divinylbenzene (PS/DVB) copolymer sulfonated under conditions to introduce sulfone cross-linking. Surprisingly, the sulfone cross-linking improves the resistance to deformation but does not have a negative effect on the activity and selectivity of the catalyst in bisphenol-A production. The catalyst is defined as being a sulfonated cross-linked ion exchange resin comprising polymerized monomer units of (a) from 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of one or more polyvinylaromatic monomers and (b) from 90 to 99.9 percent by weight of one or more monounsaturated vinylaromatic monomers; wherein the catalyst contains 0.1 to 1.0 millimole sulfone groups per gram dry catalyst, and has an acid capacity of 4.0 to 6.0 millimole sulfonic acid groups per gram dry catalyst.