Phenol → Diphenyl carbonate

Participants

Reaction Steps

In a column apparatus as described in Example 15, in which, instead of the 10-tray sieve-plate column, a 10-tray bubble-cap tray column, isothermically thermostatted to 183° C., of length 72 cm and internal diameter 4.75 cm was used, there was reacted, under the conditions described there, a mixture of 150 g/h of methyl phenyl carbonate, 350 g/h of phenol and 6.25 g/h of octylstannonic acid. After establishment of constant conditions, at the head of the apparatus, 365 g/h of a mixture of 1.3% by weight of methanol, 8.5% by weight of dimethyl carbonate and 90.2% by weight of phenol was continuously withdrawn and, at the foot of the column, 135 g/h of a mixture of 6.2% by weight of phenol, 14.0% by weight of methyl phenyl carbonate and 79.8% by weight of diphenyl carbonate were continuously withdrawn. This represents a space-time yield for the formation of diphenyl carbonate of 0.085 g·ml-1· h-1, based on the reactor volume. 16.6% of the methyl phenyl carbonate used reacted with phenol with transesterification to form diphenyl carbonate. The selectivity of the formation of diphenyl carbonate was >99%, that is no by-products could be detected.

Provenance & Evidence