Patent ID: 6211418
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
A method for producing trimethylhydroquinone comprising:reacting isophorone in the presence of an acid catalyst and recovering .beta.-isophorone by distillation;oxidizing said .beta.-isophorone in the presence of amorphous carbon and a base to obtain 4-oxoisophorone;reacting said 4-isophorone in a vapor phase with a carboxylic acid in the presence of a solid acid catalyst to obtain at least one compound represented by the following formula: ##STR3##wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 may be the same or different and are selected from hydrogen or an acyl group; andhydrolyzing compounds having at least one acyl group in the obtained reaction product represented by the formula, thereby obtaining trimethylhydroquinone,wherein said solid acid catalyst is a silica-alumina catalyst.