A process for the production of 2,3,5-trimethyl- benzoquinone (TMBQ) from 2,3,6- trimethylphenol (TMP) is described, comprising contacting TMP with molecular oxygen in a medium of water and an aliphatic alcohol having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms in the presence as a catalyst of a copper halogeno complex represented by the general formula as shown below or a mixture of the copper halogeno complex and an alkali metal halide.
wherein M is an alkali metal or ammonium, Cu(II) is a divalent copper, X is a halogen atom, I is an integer of 1 to 3, m is 1 or 2, n is an integer of 3 to 8, p is 1 or 2, and II + 2mp = np. The present process yields various advantages; for example, TMBQ can be produced with high selectivity, and since the reaction is performed in a specific medium (the medium is heterogeneous because the alcohols are immiscible or little miscible with water) and TMBQ is soluble in the alcohol layer, while the catalyst is soluble in the water layer, TMBQ can be easily separated and reuse of the catalyst can be accomplished by a simplified procedure. TMBQ is a useful compound as an intermediate for use in the preparation of Vitamin E.
本发明描述了一种从 2,3,6- 三甲基
苯酚(
TMP)生产 2,3,5- 三
甲基苯醌 (
TMBQ)的工艺,该工艺包括在
水和具有 4 至 10 个碳原子的
脂肪醇的介质中,在卤化
铜络合物 (通式如下所示)或卤化
铜络合物与碱
金属卤化物的混合物作为催化剂存在的情况下,使
TMP 与分子氧接触。
其中 M 为碱
金属或
铵,Cu(II) 为二价
铜,X 为卤素原子,I 为 1 至 3 的整数,m 为 1 或 2,n 为 3 至 8 的整数,p 为 1 或 2,II + 2mp = np。本工艺具有多种优点,例如,可以高选择性地生产
TMBQ,而且由于反应是在特定的介质中进行的(该介质是异质的,因为
醇类与
水不相溶或几乎不相溶),
TMBQ 溶于醇层,而催化剂溶于
水层,因此
TMBQ 可以很容易地分离出来,催化剂的重复使用也可以通过简化程序来完成。
TMBQ 是一种有用的化合物,可用作制备
维生素 E 的中间体。