- Process for making polyphenols from ketones or aldehydes and phenols
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A process for the condensation of an aldehyde or ketone starting material with a phenol, unsubstituted in the 4-position, comprises reacting the aldehyde or ketone starting material with the phenol in a reaction mixture in the presence of a soluble or insoluble mercaptosulfonic acid compound under conditions sufficient to bring about formation of a geminal bisphenolic moiety at each aldehyde or ketone moiety in the starting material. A miscible mercaptosulfonic acid compound is characterized by the formula or a precursor thereof, wherein θ is an alkylene, cycloaliphatic, arylene, alkylenearylene, alkylenecycloaliphatic, alkylenearyl, heterocyclic or alkyleneheterocyclic residue. Heterogeneous catalysts comprise insoluble materials comprising catalytically-active species represented by the formula: STR1 L is an optional linking group and -- is a bond, which catalytically-active species is attached by the bond -- to an insoluble organic or inorganic support; or a catalytically-active species represented by the formula: STR2 wherein L' is an optional linking group, -- is a bond and θ' and θ" are residues of θ, and a and b are independently selected from integers equal to or greater than 1.
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