The Raschig-Hooker process

One of the methods of producing phenol by a chemical reaction where it is done by the
hydrolysis of chlorobenzene. From this process, the phenol can be obtained by the creation of
chlorobenzene from benzene, hydrochloric acid, and oxygen, as well as the subsequent hydrolysis of
chlorobenzene to phenol, which are the primary processes in this process. In the year 1940, Germany
invented this method. Benzene is initially transformed into chlorobenzene by passing a mixture of
benzene vapor, hydrochloric acid vapor, and air through a copper iron catalyst supported on alumina
under normal pressure at about 23°C. Because the reaction is exothermic, the temperature is kept
constant by external cooling. The conversion rate for each pass is 10%. After separation from the
unaffected reactants, the chlorobenzene is hydrolyzed into phenol by heating it with steam at 400-500°C
in the presence of a silica catalyst. In this second step, the conversion rate is around 10% every pass. The
hydrogen chloride that is released as a result of the reaction is recovered and recycled. Purification of
crude phenol (97%) obtained by the above reaction is accomplished through vacuum distillation.
Benzene is yielded in the range of 75-85%. Large volumes of benzene can be converted to phenol using a
tiny amount of HCl. Overview of Raschig-Hooker Chemical Process is in the following below: