Peracetic Acid → Phenol

Participants

Reaction Steps

The epsilon caprolactone employed in accordance with the invention is available commercially so that neither the compound per se nor the method by which it is obtained constitutes any portion of the invention. According to one method, epsilon caprolactone is prepared by oxidizing cyclohexanone with an anhydrous solution of peracetic acid and acetone. The product thus obtained comprises acetic acid and epsilon caprolactone. When this method is used, it is desirable to add the peracetic acid-acetone solution to an excess of the cyclohexanone, e.g., 5 to 1 molar ratio of cyclohexanone to peracetic acid, in a vessel maintained under reflux. The epsilon caprolactone is recovered from the vessel by conventional distillation. The cyclohexanone used in the preparation of epsilon caprolactone is an intermediate product in the preparation of caprolactam. Cyclohexanone can be obtained either by the hydrogenation of phenol or the oxidation of cyclohexane. If a commercially available epsilon caprolactone is used in accordance with the invention, I prefer to purify the material by vacuum distillation. According to a typical purification procedure, epsilon caprolactone is subjected to distillation in a vacuum distillation column, separately collecting that portion boiling at 56° to 57° C./0.4 torr. Epsilon caprolactone is water-white with a single gas-chromatography peak.

Provenance & Evidence