Shawn E. Hunter

Synthesis of p-isopropenylphenol in high-temperature water

The synthesis of p-isopropenylphenol (IPP) from bisphenol A (BPA) cleavage typically requires an alkaline catalyst and results in a mixture of IPP oligomers. Using high-temperature (200–350 °C) liquid water (HTW) as the reaction medium, we synthesized IPP from BPA without catalyst and without oligomerization. IPP and phenol are primary products from BPA cleavage, whereas acetone forms from IPP hydrolysis as a secondary product.