PROCESS FOR PREPARING WATER CLEAR PHENOL

摘要

A process for preparing phenol having improved clarity when dispersed in water. The phenol is prepared from crude phenol being the product of decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide and having previously been distilled to remove large portions of acetone, cumene and alphamethyl styrene. The method of the invention comprises a) introducing the crude phenol as a feed to a fractional distillation column, the column having many theoretical distillation stages and having a condenser for overhead vapors, b) heating the bottoms of the fractional distillation column to vaporize the phenol and lower boiling components of the crude phenol, c) removing those components of the crude phenol boiling higher than phenol from the bottom of the distillation column, d) removing substantially dry liquid phenol product from the distillation column at a point at least one theoretical stage from the top of the column, the phenol product having improved clarity when dispersed in water, e) adding water to the top of the fractional distillation column in an amount sufficient to improve the clarity of the phenol product when dispersed in water, but not in an amount great enough to cause the phenol product to contain more than 0.1 percent water by weight, f) removing a condensed liquid phenol-water mixture containing impurities overhead from the top of the fractional distillation column, and g) returning a portion of the phenol-water mixture to the top of the fractional distillation column as reflux.