Dehydrogenation of Cyclohexanones to Phenols: A Mini Review

Background Phenol and its derivatives are important intermediates in the chemical industry, especially the pharmaceutical and electronic industries. The synthesis of phenols has attracted the attention of scientists due to their importance. Dehydrogenation of cyclohexanones is one of the promising aromatization strategies for phenols manufacture because the raw materials are low cost and stable. In recent years, some efficient and green methods with the use of H-2, O-2 and air, alkene, H-2 and O-2-free are described. Objective This mini-review will summarize some recent developments relating to the dehydrogenation of cyclohexanones to phenols, along with their interesting mechanism aspects. The challenges and future trends of the transformation will be prospected. Conclusion The synthesis of phenols from the dehydrogenation of cyclohexanones has recently attracted much attention. Some synthetic methods have been established, and interesting mechanisms have been proposed in some cases. Lots of catalysts were developed for the transformation to afford the corresponding product. Although the present methods still have drawbacks and limitations, it is supposed that many novel methods would probably be developed in the near future.

Automated summary

Phenol and its derivatives are important intermediates in the chemical industry, and the synthesis of phenols has attracted attention. Dehydrogenation of cyclohexanones is a promising strategy for phenols manufacture. Recent developments in this area, along with their interesting mechanism aspects, are summarized in this mini-review. The challenges and future trends of the transformation are also discussed.