Process for preparing bisphenol-A

• US 4,847,433 A
• Filed: 05/23/1988
• Issued: 07/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sabic Innovative Plastics IP BV (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kissinger, Gaylord M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lone, Werren B.
• Application Number:
  US07/197,182
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 568/727, 568/763, 568/724, 568/749
• US Class Current: 568/727
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 37/20 using aldehydes or ketones
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 39/16 Bis-(hydroxyphenyl) alkanes; Tris-(hydroxyphenyl)alkanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts

Abstract

A process which comprises

(a) contacting an excess of a phenol with a ketone in the presence of an acidic ion exchange resin catalyst;

(b) recovering thereafter a stream from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst including the dihydric phenol, unreacted phenol, isomers of the desired dihydric phenol and acid impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst;

(c) removing a major portion of the desired dihydric phenol from the stream of (b);

(d) separating the stream including phenol, a small portion of the desired dihydric phenol, isomers of the desired dihydric phenol, and acidic impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst into a major stream and a minor stream by volume;

(e) recycling the major stream so as to contact the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst of (a) together with new phenol and ketone so as to maintain a balance between the color of the final desired dihydric phenol product and impurities found therein;

(f) recovering from the small stream desireable dihydric phenol, and

(g) introducing into the minor stream created at step (d) sufficient quantities of a Group II a metal or transition metal of oxidation number +2 carbonate to effectively neutralize the acidic impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst.

Claims

1. A process which comprises

(a) contacting an excess of a phenol with acetone in the presence of an acidic exchange resin-catalyst;

(b) recovering thereafter a stream, from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst including bisphenol-A, unreacted phenol, isomers of the desired dihydric phenol and acid impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst;

(c) removing a major portion of bisphenol-A from the stream of (b);

(d) separating the stream including phenol, a small portion of bisphenol-A, isomers of bisphenol-A, and acidic impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst into a major stream and a minor stream by volume;

(e) recycling the major stream so as to contact the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst of (a) together with new phenol and acetone so as to maintain a balance between the color of the final bisphenol-A product and impurities found therein;

(f) recovering from the small stream desirable bisphenol-A and

(g) introducing into the minor stream created at step (d) sufficient quantities of a Group II a metal or transition metal of oxidation number +2 carbonate to effectively neutralize the acidic impurities derived from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst.

2. The process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cation is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, barium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc.

3. The process in accordance with claim 2 wherein the cation is zine, manganese, magnesium, calcium and barium.

4. The process in accordance with claim 3 wherein the cation is barium.

5. In a process for preparing bisphenol-A from the reaction of phenol and acetone in the presence of an acidic ion exchange resin catalyst, the improvement comprising the addition to the process of sufficient quantities of a Group II-a metal or transition metal of oxidation number +2 carbonate to a minor portion of the split process stream created after the removal, from the stream of a major quantity of the bisphenol-A to effectively neutralize acidic impurities provided from the acidic ion exchange resin catalyst, said impurities carried with the bisphenol-A in the downstream processing steps from the catalyst.

6. The process in accordance with claim 5 wherein the cation is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, calcium, barium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc.

7. The process in accordance with claim 6 wherein the cation is zine, manganese, magnesium, calcium and barium.

8. The process in accordance with claim 7 wherein the cation is barium.