PURPOSE: A copper compound and a magnesium compound soluble in benzoic acid are used at a specific molar ratio as a catalyst to effect oxidation, decarboxylation and hydrolysis of benzoic acid by the wet process under specific conditions to produce the titled compound in high conversion with no formation of tar and no precipitation of copper.
CONSTITUTION: A copper compound and a magnesium compound, both of them are soluble in benzoic acid, are used at a molar ratio of 4W12 magnesium to copper as a catalyst to effect liquid-phase simultaneous oxidation, decarboxylation and hydrolysis of benzoic acid at 200W260°C using an oxygen-containing gas and steam to produce the titled compound. The amount of oxygen gas fed is more than such that it can oxidize the copper compound reduced on the formation of phenol to a divalent copper compound. The amount of steam is 5W50 times the molar quantity of the phenol formed, preferably 10W40 times. The amount of the copper is 0.5W 4mol% based on the benzoic acid.
WAKE SHIGEO
SHIRAFUJI TAMIO
BETSUPU MASAZOU
