Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

Jorg Thomas Haberlein, Heir

Manfred Gscheidmeier

Harald Haberlein, Deceased

Hans Harald Haberlein, Heir

Mark Christian Haberlein, Heir

Process for the preparation of camphene by the rearrangement of .alpha.-pinene A process for the preparation of camphene by the rearrangement of .alpha.-pinene in the presence of a titanium oxide hydrate catalyst under the action of heat, wherein .alpha.-pinene is refluxed until the content of .alpha.-pinene in the reaction mixture is still at least 3% by weight, and the rearrangement is then brought to completion in a secondary reaction at a temperature below 160.degree. C. By carrying out the process in this way--refluxing to a relatively high residual content of .alpha.-pinene and performing a secondary reaction at a lower temperature--the formation of polymeric by-products is reduced. This process moreover increases the yield of camphene in that recycled tricyclene, concentrated in the distillation of the crude product, is partially rearranged to camphene or the formation of more tricyclene is reduced.

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Allersberg, Germany

Jorg Thomas Haberlein, Heir