The dicarboxylic acid is a white amorphous or microcrystalline substance which does not melt or sublime. It is best purified by precipitation of an aqueous alkaline solution with mineral acid, washing well with H2O and drying in vacuo at 100o. It is characterized by conversion to diphenyl-4,4’-dicarbonyl chloride (with PCl5 [Work J Chem Soc 1317 1940], or by phase transfer catalysis with SOCl2 + BuEt3N+Cl-in 1,2-dichloroethane [Burdett Synthesis 441 1991]) which crystallises from *C6H6 with m 184o. The di-acid chloride gives the dimethyl ester with MeOH, and has m 215-217o (plates from MeOH, m’s of 214o and 224o were also reported). The diethyl ester is similarly prepared with EtOH and has m 122o (from EtOH). [Beilstein 9 II 665, 9 III 4519, 9 IV 3563.]
