Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Jurgen Schubert

Manfred Baumann

Franz Josef Brocker

Peter Trubenbach

A process for the preparation of alkylphenols of the formula I ##STR1## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 stand for hydrogen or C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl, by reaction of an alkylcyclohex-2-en-1-one of the formula II ##STR2## in which R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, and R.sup.5 have the aforementioned meanings, at temperatures of from 200.degree. to 400.degree. C. and pressures ranging from 0.01 to 50 bar in the presence of palladium-on-.alpha.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 catalysts, wherein the catalyst used has a specific surface area (BET) of from 1 to 10 m.sup.2 /g, a pore diameter of from 5 nm to 300 .mu.m and a pore volume of from 0.1 to 0.5 cm.sup.3 /g, from 80 to 100% of the pores having a diameter of from 40 to 400 nm, and also novel palladium-on-.alpha.-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 catalysts as obtained from a fine-grained alumina powder by steps of molding, pyrolysis and calcination.

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Dirmstein, Germany

Jurgen Schubert