Method for producing 3-alkylphenols and 1,3-hydroxybenzene

In the process for the production of hydroxybenzene compounds having substituents in the 1 and 3 positions on the benzene ring, said process comprising:

• (A) alkylation of an aromatic compound with an alkylating agent "comprising an unsaturated hydrocarbon or a compound capable of generating an unsaturated hydrocarbon" to produce an isomeric mixture of dialkylbenzene compounds;
• (B) separation of the isomers of said dialkylbenzene compounds to obtain a material enriched with respect to the 1,3-dialkylbenzene isomer;
• (C) oxidation of said material enriched with respect to said 1,3-dialkylbenzene isomer with oxygen to yield the hydroperoxide thereof;
• and (D) acid catalyzed rearrangement of said hydroperoxide to yield a 1,3-disubstituted benzene compound having at least one hydroxyl substituent thereon;
• the improvement comprising:
• in separation step (B) contacting said isomeric mixture of dialkylbenzene compounds with a shape selective zeolite catalyst, at a temperature of between about 150.degree. C. and about 800.degree. C. and a pressure of between about 10.sup.4 N/m.sup.2 and about 10.sup.7 N/m.sup.2, to selectively react the 1,4-dialkyl isomer of said dialkylbenzene compounds, the reaction mixture thereby becoming enriched with respect to the 1,3-dialkyl isomer thereof, said shape selective zeolite catalyst being characterized by a constraint index within the range of from about 1 to about 12 and further by a silica to alumina ratio of at least 12.