Process for preparing a para-branched alkyl-substituted hydroxyaromatic compound

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a process for preparing an isomeric mixture comprising a major amount of a para-branched mono-alkyl-substituted hydroxyaromatic compound. The process involves the steps of: (a) providing an isomeric mixture comprising a major amount of a para-di(alkyl-substituted)aromatic compound; wherein a first alkyl substituent is a C3 to C8 alkyl moiety and a second alkyl substituent is a C4+n to C8+n branched alkyl moiety, wherein n is 0 to 42 and further wherein the second alkyl substituent is at least one carbon atom greater than the first alkyl substituent; (b) subjecting the isomeric mixture comprising a major amount of a para-di(alkyl-substituted)aromatic compound to oxidation conditions in the presence of an oxygen-containing source, thereby converting the first alkyl substituent which is a C3 to C8 alkyl moiety to a hydroperoxide-containing substituted moiety to produce an isomeric mixture comprising a major amount of a para-branched alkyl-substituted, hydroperoxide-containing substituted aromatic compound; and (c) converting the hydroperoxide-containing substituted moiety to a hydroxyl moiety thereby providing an isomeric mixture comprising a major amount of a para-branched mono-alkyl-substituted hydroxyaromatic compound.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.