Process for the production of paralkyl-phenol and para-alkyl-benzoic acid

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS PRODUCTION OF PALKYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENOLS AND P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZOIC ACIDS WHICH COMPRISES REACTING ABOUT ONE MOL OF A MONO C1-C-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZENE COMPOUND WITH ABOUT 0.2 TO 0.3 MOL OF PHOSGENE IN THE PRESENCE OF ANHYDROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT -10*C. TO 100*C. IN A FIRST REACTION ZONE, SEPARATELY REMOVING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE AND UNCONSUMED PHOSGENE FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE, DILUTING SAID HYDROGEN CHLORIDE TO FORM ACIDIFIED WATER, PASSING SAID ACIDIFIED WATER INTO SAID REACTION MIXTURE TO DESTROY THE ALUMINUM CHLORIDE-COMPLEX PRESENT THEREBY FORMING A LOWER AQUEOUS PHASE AND AN UPPER ORGANIC PHASE, SEPARATING SAID PHASES, PASSING THE AQUEOUS PHASE TO A SEPARATOR IN CONTACT WITH SAID MONO-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZENE COMPOUND AS A SOLVENT TO REMOVE ANY REMAINING ORGANIC MATERIAL PRESENT AS A SOLVENT EXTRACT PHASE AND FORMING A SECOND AQUEOUS PHASE CONTAINING SPENT ALUMINUM CHLORIDE, COMBINING SAID SOLVENT EXTRACT PHASE WITH SAID ORGANIC PHASE, WATERWASHING SAID COMBINED PHASES TO REMOVE ANY REMAINING ALUMINUM CHLORIDE THEREBY PRODUCING A THIRD AQUEOUS PHASE AND A WASHED ORGANIC PHASE, SEPARATING SAID THIRD AQUEOUS PHASE AND SAID WASHED ORGANIC PHASE, SUBJECTING SAID WASHED ORGANIC PHASE TO DISTILLATION TO REMOVE AS OVERHEAD SAID MONO-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZENE COMPOUND, RECYCLING SAID MONO-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZENE COMPOUND TO SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, RECOVERING A DISTILLATION RESIDUE FROM SAID DISTILLATION COMPRISING P,P''-DIALKYL BENZOPHENONE, REACTING SAID P,P''-DIALKYL BENZOPHENONE WITH ACETIC ANHYDRIDE, SULFURIC ACID AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 20* TO 40*C. IN A SECOND REACTION ZONE, RECOVERING THE P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENYL ESTER OF P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZOIC ACID FROM SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE AS THE ORGANIC PHASE, SAPONIFYING SAID ESTER WITH AN ALKALI TO FORM A MIXTURE OF THE ALKALI METAL SALT OF P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENOL AND THE ALKALI METAL SALT OF P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED BENZOIC ACID, ACIDIFYING SAID MIXTURE OF PRODUCE P-ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENOL AND P-ALKYLSUBSTITUTED BENZOIC ACID AND SEPARATING SAID PRODUCTS.