ABSTRACT
References ........................................................................................................................................ 67
An alkylphenol is a derivative of phenol wherein one or more of the aromatic ring hydrogens have been replaced by (substituted with) an alkyl group. The alkylphenols of greatest commercial importance have alkyl groups ranging in size from 1 to 12 carbons. Those alkylphenols having alkyl groups containing four or more carbons are produced in a straightforward manner by the direct reaction (i.e., alkylation) of phenol with the corresponding alkene (ole n) by acid or aluminum catalysis followed by a number of puri cation steps to isolate the desired product. Depending on the ole n used, speci c reaction conditions, mole ratio of phenol to ole n, and catalyst employed, a wide variety of mono-, di-, and trisubstituted alkylphenols may be produced in this general manner [1, pp. 113-114]. Annual worldwide production of all alkyphenols exceeds
1 billion pounds [1, pp. 135-136]. Of this, monosubstituted alkylphenols make up ∼80 to 85%. It is this type, especially those having alkyl groups of 8 to 12 carbon atoms and predominant in the manufacture of nonionic surfactants, which is the focus of this chapter.
