Patent ID: 6350921
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
A method for manufacturing dihydroxybenzene and dicarbinol from diisopropylbenzene comprising:a) oxidizing diisopropylbenzene (DIPB) in the presence of a base catalyst to obtain an oxidate comprising diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide (DHP), diisopropylbenzene hydroxyhydroperoxide (HHP), acetyl-isopropylbenzene hydroperoxide (KHP), and one or more members selected from the group consisting of diisopropylbenzene monohydroperoxide (MHP), isopropylbenzene monocarbinol (MCL), diisopropylbenzene dicarbinol (DCL), acetyl-isopropylbenzene monocarbinol (KCL) and other organic peroxides; b) feeding the oxidate of step a), a caustic solution and an organic solvent into a first reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column; c) generating two streams from the first reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column of step b), the first caustic extraction stream comprising DHP, HHP and KHP extracted in a countercurrent operation, and the second caustic extraction stream comprising one or more members selected from the group consisting of MHP, MCL, DCL, KCL, other organic peroxides, DIPB and the organic solvent of step b); d) feeding the first caustic extraction stream from step c) cooled to a temperature of between about 10 and 30Â° C., an organic solvent and an alkaline solution into a second reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column; e) generating two streams from the second reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column, the first cold extraction stream comprising a cold organic solvent extract comprising HHP and KHP and the second cold extraction stream comprising DHP enriched caustic; f) feeding an organic solvent having a temperature of between about 40 and 85Â° C. and the DHP enriched caustic of step e) into a third reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column; g) generating two streams from the third reciprocating plate counter-current extraction column, the first hot extraction stream comprising a hot organic solvent solution comprising high purity DHP, and the second hot extraction stream comprising lean caustic having low levels of unextracted hydroperoxides; h) concentrating the hot organic solvent solution of step g) and feeding the concentrate into a continuous cleavage reactor where DHP is cleaved in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce a solution comprising the corresponding dihydroxybenzene and acetone; and i) decomposing the HHP present in the first cold extraction stream of step e) by treatment with an aqueous alkaline solution under atmospheric pressure and aqueous conditions to obtain the corresponding dicarbinol.