Patent ID: 7678947

Claim:
A method for producing a halogen-substituted benzenedimethanol represented by the formula (2): wherein X 1 to X 4 are the same or different and independently represent a hydrogen or halogen atom, provided that at least one of X 1 to X 4 is a halogen atom, by reacting a halogen-substituted terephthalic acid diester represented by the formula (1): wherein R 1 and R 2 are the same or different and independently represent an optionally substituted C1-C20 alkyl group and the substituent of the alkyl group is a fluorine atom; a C1-C20 alkoxy group which is optionally substituted with a halogen atom or atoms; a C6-C20 aryl group which is optionally substituted with a C1-C6 alkoxy group or groups; a C6-C20 aryloxy group which is optionally substituted with a C1-C6 alkoxy group or groups or phenoxy group or groups; or a C7-C20 aralkyloxy group which is optionally substituted with a C1-C6 alkoxy group or groups or phenoxy group or groups, and X 1 to X 4 is the same as defined above, with a borohydride compound in the presence of an alcohol which comprises adding the alcohol into a mixture of the halogen-substituted terephthalic acid diester represented by the formula (1), the borohydride compound and a solvent.