Patent ID: 7326815

Claim:
A process for producing phenol and a ketone of general formula R 1 COCH 2 R 2 (I), in which R 1 and R 2 each independently represent an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, said process comprising: (a) providing an alkylbenzene feedstock comprising (i) an alkylbenzene of general formula (II) in which R 1 and R 2 have the same meaning as in formula (I) and (ii) at least one structural isomer of said alkylbenzene of formula (II) in an amount of at least 0.7% of the weight of alkylbenzene of formula (II), (b) submitting the alkylbenzene feedstock to oxidation conditions in the presence of oxygen and in the presence of a cyclic imide of formula (III): in which X represents a carbonyl (CO) group or a sulfonyl (SO 2 ) group, n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, R 3 is one or several groups selected from a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an amino group and R 4 is a hydrogen atom, an alkaline metal cation or an alkaline earth metal cation, or in the presence of N,N′,N″-trihydroxyisocyanuric acid (THICA), to produce a product comprising a hydroperoxide of general formula (IV) in which R 1 and R 2 have the same meaning as in formula (I), and (c) converting the hydroperoxide of formula (IV) into phenol and a ketone of formula (I).