Ortho-Alkylation of Phenol with Methanol Using Pb-Cr Promoted Magnesium Oxide Catalysts

In this study, Pb‐Cr promoted magnesium oxide catalysts were used to catalyze the ortho‐alkylation of phenol in the presence of excess methanol. The Cr/MgO catalyst exhibited a high conversion of phenol and a relatively high selectivity for the ortho‐alkylation of phenol. The catalytic activity and the stability of Cr/MgO were improved by the addition of a fairly small amount of Pb. The Pb‐Cr/MgO catalyst showed specificity for the ortho‐alkylation of phenol, which was proved by a series of phenol derivative reactions with methanol.