Rhone-Poulenc S.a.

Rhone-Poulenc-Textile

Guy Lartigau

Pierre-Etienne Bost

Michel Jouffret

Michel Costantini

Lucien Billet

Pierre Bost

Michel Constantini

A process is provided for the preparation of aryl ketones by catalytic decomposition of tertiary hydroperoxides, in particular for the preparation of acetophenone from cumene hydroperoxide, said process comprising effecting the catalytic decomposition of a tertiary hydroperoxide of the formula: ##STR1## in which Ar represents a monovalent aromatic radical, the free valency of which is carried by a carbon atom belonging to an aromatic ring, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, which may be identical or different, each represents a monovalent aliphatic radical or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together form a divalent aliphatic radical, in a reaction medium comprising water, an inorganic or organic derivative of copper and a phenol, and at a temperature of from 50.degree. C to 150.degree. C.

Preparation of ketones

Acetophenone is made by decomposing cumene hydroperoxide in a mixture of water, a copper catalyst, and .alpha.-methylstyrene or dimethylphenylcarbinol.

Preparation of acetophenone

Aromatic compounds of formula ##SPC1## In which R and R.sup.1 are independently hydrogen or C.sub.1 - C.sub.4 alkyl are hydroxylated with hydrogen peroxide and a phosphorus compounds, which is a phosphoric acid, ester thereof, halogenophosphoric acid, ester thereof, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus halide or oxyhalide, in the absence of acid of pK &lt; -0.1.

Hydroxylation or aromatic compounds

A process for preparing long-chain alkanedicarboxylic acids is described, starting from cycloalkanone peroxide, by double deperoxidation by means of ferrous ions in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst.

Process for the preparation of saturated long-chain dicarboxylic acids

Phenols and phenol ethers are hydroxylated with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sulphur, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, arsenic or antimony. High yields of dihydric materials are obtained by this process which avoids the need to use peracids or very strong acids.

Growing community of inventors

Tassin la Demi Lune, France

Guy Lartigau