Process for producing aminophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfone

摘要

A process for producing aminophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfone of the formula (I), <IMAGE> (I) which comprises the following steps: (1) condensing nitrohalobenzene with mercaptoethanol in the presence of an alkali hydroxide and at least one reaction medium selected from N-alkyl-substituted amides and sulfoxides to produce mononitrophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfide of the formula (II): <IMAGE> (II) (2) oxidizing the mononitrophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfide (II) to produce mononitrophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfone of the formula (III): <IMAGE> (III) and (3) reducing the mononitrophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfone to produce the aminophenyl- beta -hydroxyethylsulfone of the formula (I). This compound is useful as an intermediate for aminophenyl- beta -sulfatoethylsulfone represented by the following formula: <IMAGE> which is an important intermediate for vinyl sulfone type reactive dyes largely used for dyeing cellulose fiber materials.