Nippon Petrochemicals Company, Limited

Ryotaro Hirano

Yasuo Matsumura

Atsushi Sato

Isoo Shimizu

Kazumichi Uchida

Hideki Nomura

A method for producing p-isobutylstyrene which is characterized in that starting materials are inexpensive, processes are easy to be done and products are highly pure. The method comprises the step of catalytically cracking 1,1-bis(p-isobutylphenyl)ethane at temperatures in the range of 200.degree. to 650.degree. C. in the presence of a protonic acid catalyst and/or a solid acid catalyst to produce p-isobutylstyrene and isobutylbenzene, and at least a portion of said isobutylbenzene is recycled to produce said 1,1-bis(p-isobutylphenyl)ethane by reaction with acetaldehyde in the presence of sulfuric acid.

Method of producing p-isobutylstyrene and a starting compound therefor

A method for producing .alpha.-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid or its alkyl esters which is characterized in that starting materials are inexpensive, processes are easy to be done and products are highly pure. The method comprises the steps of (I): catalytically cracking 1,1-bis(p-isobutylphenyl)ethane at temperatures in the range of 200.degree. to 650.degree. C. in the presence of a protonic acid catalyst and/or a solid acid catalyst to produce isobutylbenzene and p-isobutylstyrene; and (II): reacting said p-isobutylstyrene with carbon monoxide and water or alcohol at temperatures in the range of 40.degree. to 150.degree. C. in the presence of a metal complex carbonylation catalyst to produce .alpha.-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid or its alkyl ester; or (III): reacting said p-isobutylstyrene with carbon monoxide and hydrogen at temperatures in the range of 40.degree. to 150.degree. C. in the presence of a metal complex carbonylation catalyst to produce .alpha.-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionaldehyde and then oxidizing said .alpha.-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionaldehyde to produce .alpha.-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid. The recovered isobutylene is recycled to produce 1,1-bis(p-isobutylphenyl)ethane by reaction with acetaldehyde in the presence of sulfuric acid.

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Yokohama, Japan

Ryotaro Hirano