To industrially producing the subject compound useful as a raw material for producing chemicals or the like in high conversion and high selectivity by reacting a dialkyl oxalate with a phenol compound in the presence of an ester interchange catalyst.
A dialkyl oxalate (e.g. dimethyl oxalate) containing ≤0.2 wt.% water is reacted with a phenol compound preferably containing ≤0.2 wt.% water in the presence of an ester interchange catalyst (preferably a titanium compound, a tin compound, a lead compound, a zirconium compound, a molybdenum compound, a ytterbium compound or the like) to provide the objective compound. The water content in the mixed liquid of the raw materials including the dialkyl oxalate, the phenol compound and the ester interchange catalyst is preferably regulated so as to be ≤10 molar times as much as the amount of the ester interchange catalyst. The ester interchange catalyst is optionally heat-treated in a dried inert gas at 100-300°C.
TANAKA HIDEJI
HARADA KATSUMASA
SUGISE RIYOUJI
