Acetone → Phenol

Participants

Reaction Steps

In an embodiment, a method for the production of phenol and acetone from a cumene hydroperoxide mixture comprises: a first stage and a second stage and at least two serially connected reactors, wherein the first stage comprises decomposition of a cumene hydroperoxide in the presence of a catalyst mixture to form phenol, acetone, and dicumyl peroxide mixture, and the second stage comprises formation of a phenol and acetone mixture from decomposition of the remainder of the cumene hydroperoxide and dicumyl peroxide formed in the first stage, wherein, the first stage further comprises: a) forming a catalyst mixture by combining sulfuric acid and phenol in a weight ratio of from 2:1 to 1:1000 in a catalyst formation reactor, b) holding the catalyst mixture in the catalyst formation reactor at a temperature of about 20 to 80° C. for about 1 to 600 minutes; and, c) adding the catalyst mixture to the cumene hydroperoxide mixture to form the phenol and acetone mixture. In an embodiment, the sulfuric acid is an aqueous sulfuric acid solution comprising at least 75 wt. % sulfuric acid. In another embodiment, the sulfuric acid is fuming sulfuric acid (oleum). In an embodiment, water is added in the second stage in an amount of up to 1% of the reaction mass. In another embodiment, the reaction temperature of the first stage is between 40 and 75° C., and in another embodiment, the reaction temperature of the second stage is between 90 and 140° C.

Provenance & Evidence