Method for hydrolyzing alpha - chlorinated toluene compounds

Abstract

The current invention provides and improved method for hydrolyzing alpha-chlorinated toluene compounds comprising the steps of:—providing an alpha-chlorinated toluene compound of formula (I) wherein at least one of R1, R2 and R3 is CI and wherein (Ra)n designates that the benzene nucleus may have one or more substituents which may be same or different and are selected from the group consisting of H, CI, Br and —CmH2m+1, n being 0 or an integer from 1 to 5, and m being an integer, preferably from 1 to 6,—hydrolyzing said compound with water in the presence of a metal oxide.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.