Patent ID: 8426479

Claim:
A process for producing bisphenols comprising reacting a phenolic compound with a ketone or an aldehyde in the presence of a catalyst formed with a modified ion exchange resin wherein at least one cation selected from (A) and (B) shown below is ionically bonded to an acidic functional group of an acidic ion exchange resin: (A) a cation represented by Formula 1: wherein: P is a phosphorous atom; S is a sulfur atom; H is a hydrogen atom; R 1 is an alkylene or an alkenylene group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyl group as a substituent, and in which one carbon may be replaced by a silicon atom and one moiety thereof may have a phenylene group; and each of R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 independently is (1) an alkyl or an alkenyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have a hydroxyl group or an aryl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms as a substituent, (2) a cycloalkyl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, or (3) an aryl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, and any one of R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 may be hydrogen; and (B) a cation represented by Formula 2: wherein: P is a phosphorous atom; S is a sulfur atom; H is a hydrogen atom; R 1 and R 2 each is an alkylene or an alkenylene group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may have an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyl group as a substituent, and in which one carbon may be replaced by a silicon atom and one moiety thereof may have a phenylene group; and each of R 3 and R 4 independently is an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 5 to 10 carbon atoms, and any one of them may be hydrogen.