2,3,6-Trimethylphenol

Chemical Properties

White or light yellow solid

Uses

2,3,6-Trimethylphenol is used as intermediate for synthetic vitamin E. It is used for manufacturing 2, 3, 5-Trimethylhydroquinone. It is used as intermediate for antioxidants and plastics. It is used as a comonomer for the modification of polyphenylene oxide resins.

Production Methods

2,3,6-Trimethylphenol is produced selectively by gas phase methylation of m-cresol with methanol at 300–460 ℃ under normal pressure on ortho-selective metal oxide catalysts, as used for the selective methylation of phenol. The reaction occurs in multitube reactors with a fixed catalyst. The reaction temperature to be maintained depends on the catalyst used in each case. Iron oxide catalysts modified with oxides of other metals (e.g., Zn, Cr and Sn, or Mg and Si) are particularly suitable for the process.

Definition

ChEBI: 2,3,6-Trimethylphenol is a hydroxytoluene.

Aroma threshold values

Aroma characteristics at 1.0%: sharp smoky phenolic, latakia tobaccolike, tarlike, spicy eugenol and slightly cooling.

Taste threshold values

Taste characteristics at 5 ppm: phenolic, tobaccolike, tarry, medicinal with burnt and woody nuances.

Synthesis Reference(s)

The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 37, p. 2340, 1972 DOI: 10.1021/jo00979a029

Flammability and Explosibility

Non flammable