Patent ID: 7161000

Claim:
A method for producing a phenol condensate comprising oxidative condensation of a phenol compound represented by formula (I), in the presence of a complex represented by formula (II), and oxygen, wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 independently represent hydrogen atom, hydrocarbon group, substituted hydrocarbon group, hydrocarbonoxy group, substituted hydrocarbonoxy group or halogen atoms, R 1 and R 2 may together form a ring and R 4 represents hydrogen atom or phenoxy group, L-M (X) n (II) wherein L represents a ligand having 2 to 4 nitrogen atoms as donor atoms, M represents copper ion, nickel ion, cobalt ion, iron ion, manganese ion, chromium ion or vanadyl ion, X represents a counter ion, n is a number of Xs and is fixed depending on the valences of L, M and X; active parameter Eact. (kcal/mol) defined by the following formula (A) is −21.1 or less and selective parameter Eselect. (kcal/mol) defined by the following formula (B) is −1.7 or less, E act.= E ( a )− E ( c )− E ( d ) ( A ) E select.={ E ( a )− E ( d )}−{ E ( b )− E ( e )} ( B ) wherein E(a) to E(e) represent a heat of formation (kcal/mol) when the following structural formulas of from (a) to (e) are respectively structurally optimized with semiempirical molecular orbital method AM1; wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 represent the same meaning represented in the above formula (I), L, X and n represent the same meaning represented in the above formula (II), and M′ respectively represents monovalent copper ion when M is copper ion, divalent nickel ion when M is nickel ion, divalent cobalt ion when M is cobalt ion, divalent iron ion when M is iron ion, divalent manganese ion when M is manganese ion, divalent chromium ion when M is chromium ion and divalent vanadyl ion when M is vanadyl ion.