PURPOSE: To provide a novel benzoquinone compd. important for producing a triphenodioxazine deriv. and more particularly an asymmetric triphenodioxazine deriv. useable as a dye chromophore.

CONSTITUTION: The benzoquinone compd. of formula I [Y is H, an alkyl, substd. alkyl, alkoxy, Cl, Br; R is formula II (R1, R2 are each an alkyl, 4 to 6-membered aliphat. or arom. ring by R1 and R2 together with adjacent C; R3 is H); Z is Cl, Br, A-NH- (A is H, a residue of primary amine)]; for example, 2,3,5- trichloro-6-isopropoxy-1,4-benzoquinone. The compd. in which Z is Cl and Br in the compd. of formula I is obtd. by condensing the hydroxy compd. of the formula POH with the compd. of formula III (X is Cl, Br). The compd. in which Z is A-NH- in the compd. of the formula I is obtd. by condensing the amine of the formula A-NH2 with the compd. of formula IV.