Process for the preparation of a bis-salicylidene-alkylene-diaminocobaltous ion complex

摘要

Improved process for the preparation of salcomine useful as an oxidation catalyst for the oxidation of alkylated phenols to the corresponding alkylated p-benzoquinones by reacting salicylaldehyde with ethylenediamine in a mole ratio of about 2:1 and a cobalt salt in a liquid reaction medium wherein the reaction medium is a linear or cyclic carboxamide which is disubstituted on the nitrogen, in particular dimethylformamide, and the cobalt salt is cobalt carbonate or with the cobalt hyroxide carbonate, 2 CoCO3.3 Co(OH)2.H2O. Preparation of the salcomine in accordance with the invention offers significant advantages, both in the preparation of the salcomine itself and in the subsequent oxidation of the trimethylphenol to trimethyl-p-benzoquinone utilizing the salcomine.