Oxidative coupling of alkylphenols, alkoxyphenols and naphthols catalyzed by metal complexes of amino carboxylic and amino sulfonic acids

A method of preparing a condensation product of an alkylphenol, an alkoxyphenol or a 1-naphthol, having one of the following formulas ##STR53## wherein R.sub.2 and R.sub.6 are alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, provided that only one of said alkyl groups may be a tertiary alkyl, and

• R.sub.3 and R.sub.5 are hydrogen or alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms provided that if both R.sub.3 and R.sub.5 are alkyl only one of said alkyl groups may be a tertiary alkyl;
• ##STR54## wherein R.sub.2 and R.sub.4 are alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, provided that at least one of said alkyl groups is a tertiary alkyl, and
• R.sub.3 and R.sub.5 are hydrogen or alkyl;
• ##STR55## wherein OR' is an alkoxy group containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms;
• ##STR56## wherein R is an alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms and OR' is an alkoxy group containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms;
• ##STR57## wherein R.sub.3 and R.sub.5 are hydrogen, alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, or alkoxy groups containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms provided that if both R.sub.3 and R.sub.5 are alkyl or alkoxy groups only one of said groups may be a tertiary alkyl or alkoxy;
• and
• R.sub.2 and R.sub.6 are alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms or alkoxy groups containing from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms provided that only one of said substitutes may be a tertiary alkyl or alkoxy;
• and ##STR58## wherein R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are hydrogen, alkyl containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, or alkoxy containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, provided that either R.sub.2 or R.sub.4 is hydrogen and R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7 and R.sub.8 are hydrogen, alkyl containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms or alkoxy containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms provided that tertiary alkyl or alkoxy groups are not attached to adjacent carbon atoms of the naphthalene molecule, said method comprising contacting an aqueous mixture of the phenol or naphthol with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst system consisting essentially of a metal complex of an aminocarboxylic acid or an aminosulfonic acid wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of cupric, cobaltous, manganous and nickelous ions, said metal complex being the product obtained by reacting a source of the metal ion with an aminocarboxylic or an aminosulfonic acid and an alkaline material selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides, alkali metal carbonates and alkali metal bicarbonates.