Unsaturated vitamin E intermediates--dehydro and didehydro .alpha.-tocopherols

Abstract

New dehydrotocopherols, namely cis- and trans- 3',4'-dehydrotocopherol; cis- and trans- 4',5'-dehydrotocopherol; and 4',4'-a-dehydrotocopherol, and new didehydrotocopherols, namely cis- and trans- 3',4'-11',12'-didehydrotocopherol; cis- and trans- 4',5'-11',12'-didehydrotocopherol; and 4',4'a-11',12'-didehydrotocopherol, are useful intermediates in the preparation of Vitamin E. These intermediates are prepared by reacting trimethylhydroquinone under acid catalysis with certain C.sub.20 intermediates, namely: ##STR1## where R represnts a 3,7-dimethyloctyl or a 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenyl radical and X is halogen, hydroxyl, acetate, C.sub.1-4 alkanoate, C.sub.3-4 alkenoate, aralkenoate and benzoate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.