Ammonia → 4-Hydroxymethyl-2,5-dimethylphenol

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

Into a 5 liter four-necked flask were charged 610.9 g of 2,5-xylenol, 200 gof sodium hydroxide and 2500 g of water. While stirring at 12° C., 565 g of 37% formaldehyde was added dropwise thereto over 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the reaction was conducted for 4 more hours. After completionof the reaction, 89 g of 28% aqueous ammonia solution was added and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes. Thereafter, 400 g of acetic acid was added thereto, and the resulting mixture was filtered and washed with water. The filtered product thus obtained was dried to obtain 609 g of 4-hydroxymethyl-2,5-dimethylphenol. Purity measured by liquid chromatography (LC): 99%

Provenance & Evidence