1,4-Bis(trichloromethyl)benzene → Terephthalic Acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

A two-liter round flask, equipped with thermometer, magnetic stirrer, Vigreux column (40 cm), fractionating column, air cooler and receiver, was filled with 777 g (4 moles) of dimethylterephthalate, 1252 g (4 moles) of 1,4-bis-(trichloromethyl)-benzene and 4 g of molybdenum trioxide. The flask contents were maintained for 3 hours at 170° to 175° C. The escaping methyl chloride was captured in a cooling trap following the receiver. In the vacuum distillation that followed, 1559 g of terephthalic acid was obtained in a purity of 99.8% (GC). This corresponds to a yield of 95.8%.

Provenance & Evidence