Honshu Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.

Norimoto Kiya

Kenji Ekawa

Toyokazu Kitaura

Kenji Sugiyama

Shinsaku Kawasaki

The process for producing alicyclic monoketones (hydroxyphenylcyclohexanone derivatives) according to the present invention comprises hydrogenating substituted bisphenols such as bisphenol A in a solvent in the presence of a palladium/alkali metal catalyst in which palladium and an alkali metal are both supported on a carrier to obtain alicyclic monoketones such as 2-(4-oxocyclohexyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane. The process for producing alicyclic diketones according to the present invention comprises hydrogenating substituted bisphenols such as bisphenol A in a solvent in the presence of a palladium/alkali metal catalyst in which palladium and an alkali metal are both supported on a carrier to obtain alicyclic diketones such as 2,2-bis(4-oxocyclohexyl)propane and 4,4&prime;-bicyclohexanone. The other process for producing alicyclic monoketones according to the present invention comprises hydrogenating biphenols such as bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) in an organic solvent in the presence of a palladium catalyst in which 10 to 30% by weight of palladium is supported on a carrier to obtain alicyclic monoketones such as 4(4&prime;-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexanone. According to the present invention, alicyclic monoketones or alicyclic diketones can be obtained with high selectivity and in high yields through simple steps, because the process includes only one reaction step to hydrogenate substituted bisphenols under relatively mild conditions.

Growing community of inventors

Wakayama, Japan

Norimoto Kiya