3,3′,4,4′-tetraalkyl cyclohexylbenzene and method for producing same
A 3,3′,4,4′-tetraalkyl cyclohexylbenzene represented by the general formula (1): in which R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which may be easily converted into a 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid and a 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride thereof, which are starting materials for a polyimide, via a 3,3′,4,4′-tetraalkylbiphenyl; and a method for producing the same.
1. A method comprising:
reacting an o-dialkylbenzene represented by the general formula (2):
wherein R represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst containing at least one selected from the group consisting of palladium and ruthenium, and a solid acid catalyst containing a lanthanoid metal to perform a hydroalkylation of the o-dialkylbenzene, thereby producing a 3,3′,4,4′-tetraalkyl cyclohexylbenzene represented by the general formula (1):
wherein R is defined as above.