FR2514344A1 1981-10-09 Application filed by Rhone Poulenc

EXAMPLE 1

  In a glass tube of 30 ml capacity, is charged under argon and in order: a solid mixture and stirred beforehand with a spatula of: phenol 471 mg (5.0 m M) polyoxymethylene 61.5 mg (20, 0 m M) titanium tetrabutoxide 34 mg (0.1 m M) 159 mg of pyridine or 2 m M

9.65 g (11.0 ml) of ortho-xylene.

  The tube is sealed with the usual precautions, introduced into its protective metal sheath and placed in a stirred oven

for two hours at 170 C.

  After cooling with water, it is found that the solution

  heterogeneous green has become almost homogeneous and dark brown.

  The tube is opened, rinsed with 10 ml of o-xylene and the reaction solution is analyzed directly by vapor phase chromatography

(heptadecane internal standard).

  The results are as follows: conversion rate of phenol 73% yield of salicylic aldehyde relative to transformed phenol (RT) 74% The presence of ortho-methoxymethylphenol is also noted

  (RT 9%) and traces of saligenol.