Highly efficient and recyclable alkylammonium hydrosulfate catalyst for formation of bisphenol F by condensation of phenol with formaldehyde

Several C1–C4 alkylammonium hydrosulfates [R3NH][HSO4] have been conveniently prepared from the cheap raw materials sulfuric acid and alkylamines. Their acidities were measured by chemical titration and determined using UV-vis spectroscopy with a basic indicator 4-nitroaniline. The catalytic performance of these hydrosulfates for the condensation of phenol with formaldehyde to bisphenol F (BPF) was evaluated in detail on a batch reactor. The results indicated that the proposed catalysts are very active for such condensation due to its homogeneous catalysis characteristics in reaction conditions. Among the catalysts examined, [H3NCH2CH2NH3][HSO4]2 shows the best catalytic performance and it can achieve a complete conversion of formaldehyde, providing a higher than 90% selectivity for BPF under the optimal conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst can be recovered from the reaction mixture via an azeotropic distillation with cyclohexane to remove water and then filtration and used repeatedly six times almost without loss of activity, showing an excellent reusability. It is suggested that the present catalytic process combines the characteristics of a homogenized reaction and heterogenized recovery so might provide a highly-efficient, environmentally-friendly and low-cost route for synthesis of bisphenol F.