PROCESS FOR PREPARING BISPHENOL A

摘要

This invention is a process for the preparation of bisphenol A from acetone and phenol. By this invention, the formation of by-products is extremely decreased and post treatment steps can be simplified. This invention involves the following steps. (1) One mole of acetone is reacted with 4 to 12 moles of phenol in the presence of a sulfonic acid type cation exchange resin catalyst modified with a mercapto group-containing compound such as mercaptoethylamine to convert 20 to 60% of acetone, and (2) the reaction mixture containing unreacted acetone is successively reacted in the presence of the hydrochloric acid catalyst. The formation of by-products such as 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, Dianin's compound and the like is remarkably reduced by the process of this invention.