Patent ID: 7135580

Claim:
A process for the manufacture of α-tocopheryl acetate which comprises reacting 2,3,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate with a compound selected from the group consisting of phytol (formula IV with R═OH), isophytol (formula III with R═OH), and (iso)phytol derivatives represented by the following formulae III and IV with R═C 2-5 -alkanoyloxy, benzoyloxy, mesyloxy, benzenesulfonyloxy or tosyloxy, in the presence of a catalyst of the formula M n+ (R 1 SO 3 − ) n , wherein M n+ is a silver, copper, gallium, hafnium or rare earth metal cation, n is the valence of the cation M n+ and R 1 is fluorine, perfluorinated C 1-8 -alkyl or perfluorinated aryl, and, if required, cyclizing any 3-phytyl-2,5,6-trimethylhydroquinone-1-acetate or a double bond isomer thereof obtained as an intermediate reaction product, to produce α-tocopheryl acetate.