GB803480A - Improvements in or relating to the acid decomposition of organic hydroperoxides - Google Patents

Abstract

Phenols and carbonyl compounds such as ketones are prepared by the decomposition of hydroperoxides of secondary or tertiary alkyl aromatic compounds, in the presence of trichlormethane sulphonic acid as catalyst. Both the hydroperoxides and the catalyst may be used in pure form or in solution in suitable inert solvents. It is preferable to use hydroperoxides however, which are in the form of the reaction products of the oxidative process for their preparation, or in admixture with the alkyl-aromatic derivatives from which they were prepared. The acid catalyst may be dissolved in water, acetic acid, phenol, acetone, the reaction products of the process of the invention, or a mixture of parent alkyl aromatic derivatives from which the hydroperoxides were prepared with one of the above-mentioned substances. The process may be carried out by mixing the trichloromethane with the hydroperoxides in a reaction vessel at a temperature between about 0 DEG to 110 DEG C. depending upon the concentration, and nature of the hydroperoxides, and the impurities present, also the concentration of the acid catalyst and the quantity and nature of its solvent. Suitable amounts of acid catalyst to be employed are from 0.01 to 20 per cent by weight of the solution. Examples are given of the preparation of phenol and acetone from cumene hydroperoxide in cumene, under various conditions of concentration and temperature, in some cases also in the presence of impurities such as a ,a -dimethyl phenyl carbinol and acetone, and of the preparation of phenol and methyl ethyl ketone from secondary butyl benzene hydroperoxide in secondary butyl benzene. Meta- and para-di-isopropyl benzene are also specified as starting materials. Specification 629,429 is referred to.