Patent ID: 7601877

Claim:
A process for the preparation of ubihydroquinones and ubiquinones of the formula wherein U is the residue of a hydroquinone or quinone of formula wherein R independently from each other are hydrogen or a lower alkyl group or both are tri-(lower alkyl)-silyl, lower alkanoic acyl groups or groups of the general formula —[(CH 2 ) q O] r —(CH 2 ) p —O—(CH 2 ) m —H, m is 1 or 2; n is an integer of 6 to 10; p is 1 or 2; q is 1 or 2 and r is 0 or 1, which process is characterized by reacting an isoprenol of formula a prenol of formula or a corresponding X-derivative, wherein OH is replaced by X and X is a leaving group, with a hydroquinone or derivative thereof of formula in an organic solvent in the presence of 0.005-1.0 mol %, relative to the isoprenol/prenol, of a catalyst which is a Broensted-acid, a Lewis-acid from the group consisting of a salt of Bi or In or an element of group 3 of the periodic table of the elements, a heteropoly acid, an NH— or a CH-acidic compound and optionally oxidizing the ubihydroquinone obtained by the condensation.