PREPARATION OF TRIFLUOROMETHYL-SUBSTITUTED PHENOLS AND PHENATES AND THE PREPARATION, FROM THESE PHENOLS AND PHENATES, OF NITRO- AND TRIFLUOROMETHYL-SUBSTITUTED DIPHENYL ETHERS

摘要

A novel process is provided for the preparation of a substituted phenate (or the corresponding phenol) of the formula: …CHEM… wherein X is halo or trifluoromethyl with the proviso that, when X is halo, X min is trifluoromethyl,… X min is hydrogen, halo, trifluoromethyl or (C1-C4) alkyl,… and… M is the cation of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal, wherein the process comprises reacting a compound of the formula …CHEM… (wherein X and X min are as above defined) with an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide base in a solvent system which is substantially inert to said base and which comprises a polar, aprotic solvent with a dielectric constant in the range of from about 30 to about 70 and a non-nucleophilic hydroxy-containing solvent which increases the solubility of said base in the solvent system whereby a phenate is obtained and, if a phenol is the desired product, reacting the phenate with an acid to form the phenol. …??The phenates or phenols obtainable by the novel process may be used as intermediates in the preparation of trifluoromethylphenyl nitrophenylether herbicides optionally containing one or two additional ring substituents