Preparation of quinones by salcomine-catalyzed oxidation of phenols
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsHans K. Dietl, Howard S. Young
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Abstract
It has been found that unexpectedly high yields of a high purity product can be obtained when substituted p-quinones are prepared by oxidation, using a molecular oxygen-containing gas, of the corresponding phenols in an inert solvent having a dipole moment of at least 2.7 and in the presence of a salcomine catalyst.
Claims17
In the preparation of substituted p-quinones wherein the p-quinone has at least two substituents on the ring in any two or more of the two, three, five and six positions said substituents selected from the group consisting of alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, alkoxy, halogens, hydroxy, nitro, phenyl, and the radical--CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH--which joins the quinoid ring to form a naphthoquinone ring, by the oxidation of similarly substituted phenols in an inert solvent with a molecular oxygen-containing gas and in the presence of a salcomine catalyst, the improvement which comprises employing as said inert solvent a polar solvent having a dipole moment of at least 2.7.
A process for the production of a substituted p-quinone wherein the p-quinone has at least two substituents on the ring in any two or more of the 2-, 3-, 5-, and 6-positions, said substituents selected from the group consisting of alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, which comprises reacting a similarly substituted phenol with a molecular-oxygen containing gas in the presence of salcomine and also in the presence of a solvent which is an amide selected from the group consisting of dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, and N-methylpyrrolidone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.