Improvements in or relating to the production of aromatic mixed aliphatic-aromatic or aromatic thienyl ketones

摘要

Aromatic, mixed aliphatic-aromatic or aromatic-thienyl ketones are prepared by reacting together a halide or salt of a monocarboxylic acid of the general formula R1.COOH with respectively a salt or a halide of ortho, meta or pyro-phosphoric acid or a mixture thereof to form a mixed anhydride, R1 in the formula representing an aliphatic, aliphatic-aromatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical from which free hydroxy, sulphydryl and amino groups are absent, and said salt of the carboxylic or phosphoric acid being a salt of a metal other than an alkali or alkaline earth metal, and reacting the resulting mixed anhydride with an aromatic compound RH where R represents a phenyl or naphthyl residue substituted by at least two hydrocarbon radicals or by at least one ether group or by at least one mono- or di-acylamino group, or where R represents an unsubstituted thienyl residue, so as to produce a ketone of the formula RCOR1. The mixed anhydride may be prepared and isolated and then reacted with the compound RH or alternatively the salt and halide may be reacted in the presence of the compound RH e.g. at 100-150 DEG C. in the presence of a diluent such as a nitroparaffin or excess RH. A trace of water may be added to the reactants to facilitate reaction. In examples silver ortho, meta or pyrophosphate is reacted with an aromatic carboxylic acid chloride and the resulting anhydride with the compound RH to give phenyl thienyl ketone and 4 - acetylamino-, 21 - chloro-4-methoxy-, 2,4,6-trimethyl and 4-methoxy-benzophenone; the last mentioned compound is also prepared by reacting silver benzoate, phosphorus oxychloride and anisole and 4-methoxy-stearophenone by reacting cupric stearate, phosphorous oxychloride and anisole.