Tosoh Corporation

Akitaka Hattori

Takanori Miyake

Takashi Okada

Makoto Hanaya

Norimasa Mizui

Nobuo Nagira

Shunya Ikumi

Takashi Hori

Shoji Arai

Toshihiro Saito

Hideyuki Hamaji

Seiichi Tokumaru

Tomohiro Washiyama

Takao Kato

Benzyl alcohol of high purity is produced by supplying benzyl acetate, water and acetic acid to a hydrolysis reactor packed with a solid acid catalyst. The liquid reaction mixture produced, which contains benzyl acetate, water, benzyl alcohol and acetic acid, is supplied to an acetic acid-water recovery column, Benzyl alcohol and benzyl acetate are recovered while acetic acid is removed and returned to the hydrolysis reactor.

Process for producing benzyl acetate and benzyl alcohol

The present invention relates to a process for producing benzyl acetate and benzyl alcohol. Benzyl acetate itself is useful as a solvent and a perfume. Benzyl alcohol which is derived from the benzyl acetate by hydrolysis or by transesterification with methanol is an important compound useful as a powerful solvent, a nontoxic medical additive, and an intermediate compound for agricultural chemicals and medicines.

A process for producing a polymer having sulfonic acid groups is provided which comprises treating a polymer having sulfonate salt groups with a ion-exchange resin to change the sulfonate salt groups into sulfonate acid groups with porous-type strongly acidic cation exchange resin. A process for producing a tertiary alcohol is also provided which comprises hydration of olefin by use of the aforementioned polymer as the catalyst. By the process, a tertiary alcohol is produced by hydration of olefin with high selectivity at low cost.

Process for producing tertiary alcohol and for preparing catalyst

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Inabe-gun, Japan

Akitaka Hattori