Phenol → Bisphenol A

HRID 1614746Notes

Reaction equation

HRID 1614746 reaction equation
[C:1]1([OH:7])[CH:6]=[CH:5][CH:4]=[CH:3][CH:2]=1.[C:8]([C:11]1[CH:16]=[CH:15][C:14]([OH:17])=[CH:13][CH:12]=1)([CH3:10])=[CH2:9]>CC(C)=O>[OH:7][C:1]1[CH:6]=[CH:5][C:4]([C:8]([C:11]2[CH:16]=[CH:15][C:14]([OH:17])=[CH:13][CH:12]=2)([CH3:10])[CH3:9])=[CH:3][CH:2]=1

Participants

4

Reactant 2

HCID 996Phenol2×HCID 584247p-Isopropenylphenol

Product 1

HCID 6623Bisphenol A

Reagents, catalysts & solvents 1

HCID 180AcetoneSolvent

Procedure

According to the present invention the following reactions are conducted simultaneously in a reaction system comprising step I of the process: reaction of phenol with acetone, reaction of phenol with p-isopropenylphenol resulting from thermal decomposition of process by-products and recycled to the reaction system, and isomerizational rearrangement of process by-products to obtain bisphenol A in the presence of a micro- and macroporous cation-exchange resin catalyst mixture. Step II of the process comprises cooling the post-reaction mixture together with water and acetone to obtain a precipitate of bisphenol-A/phenol in phenolic solution. Step III of the process comprises separation of the precipitate into crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and phenolic mother liquor I. The crystalline adduct is washed with the phenolic liquor and step IV follows, wherein the bisphenolA/phenol adduct obtained in step III is dissolved in the phenolic solution and the resulting mixture is cooled to obtain a bisphenol-A/phenol precipitate in phenolic solution. Step V comprises separation of the precipitate obtained in step IV into the crystalline bisphenol-A/phenol adduct and mother liquor II to be turned back to step III of the process. The bisphenol-A/phenol crystalline adduct is then washed with phenolic solution and step VI follows, wherein a high-purity bisphenol A is recovered by removal of phenol from the bisphenol-A/phenol adduct obtained in step V. Step VII of the process consists in distillation of the phenolic mother liquor I obtained in step III, and removal of acetone, water and part of phenol therefrom. Dewatered phenol liquor is turned back to step I of the process to the reaction zone and step VIII follows, consisting of thermal catalytic decomposition of part of the mother liquor I obtained in step(s) III and/or VII, resulting in a distillate comprising phenol, isopropenylphenol and process by-products. Step IX consists of catalytic rearrangement of the reactive components of the distillate obtained in step VIII, while leaving the p-isopropenylphenol contained therein substantially intact and the rearranged distillate is recycled to step I of the process.

Sources & evidence

ORD record
ord-fa00785e610448039e860e495aa8551c
Source dataset
uspto-grants-1993_03
Patent number
US05198591

Reaction notes

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