Co-catalytic method for obtaining improved chlorination of phenols

Abstract

In a process for producing relatively pure commercially acceptable pentachlorophenol, comprising reacting, at a temperature ranging from about 10.degree. to about 190.degree. C., (A) a phenol consisting essentially of raw or commercial phenol which may contain, as impurities from other processes, some lower chlorophenols such as mono and dichlorophenols and mixtures thereof, and (B) chlorine, in the presence of (C) an acid catalyst from about 0.005 moles to about 0.016 moles per mole of (A) used, consisting essentially of aluminum chloride, ferric chloride, metal iron, aluminum tributoxide, antimony chloride, metallic antimony, stannous chloride, metallic tin, cuprous chloride and metallic copper; the improvement consisting of using (D) a sulfur containing co-catalyst selected from the group consisting of sulfur, thiophenol, para-chlorothiophenol, para, para'-dichlorophenyl sulfide, sodium hydrosulfide, 2,2'-thiobis (4,6-dichlorophenol) benzyl disulfide, dibenzothiophenol, benzyl-disulfide, diphenyl sulfide, diphenyl disulfide, di-isopentyl sulfide, naphthalene thiol, heptyl sulfide, hexochlorophenyl sulfide, dicresyl disulfide, dihexadecyl sulfide and dibenzothiophenol thiophenol, wherein components (A) and (B) constitute the sole reacting ingredients and components (C) and (D) constitute the catalytic system for promoting the reaction of components (A) and (B).