The attempts carried out so far concerning catalytic ring alkylation o
f naphthols with alcohols have, as a rule, brought about a complex mix
ture of products from which the separation of individual compounds wit
h the aim of their practical utilization has been proved to be impossi
ble. We have found that naphthols and some of their derivatives could
be easily alkylated with methanol or higher alcohols in the presence o
f iron oxide catalyst by a gas-phase continuous process. As a result o
f alkylation the alkyl group enters into the ortho-position to the hyd
roxyl group. The yields of alkylnaphthols are approximately about 90%,
which simplifies their separation and purification considerably. The
advantage of the newly developed method of alkylation is that it leads
to high degree of raw materials utilization: it is practically wastel
ess, thus it is well suited to the requirements of modern process tech
nologies, Its application may contribute to the increase of the demand
for naphthol derivatives as potential raw materials for many new synt
heses of pharmaceuticals, plant protection agents, dyes, etc. (C) 1998
Elsevier Science B.V.