PROCESS FOR PREPARING P-AMINOPHENOL AND ALKYL SUBSTITUTED P-AMINOPHENOL

A process for preparing unsubstituted and alkyl substituted p-aminophenols. A charge mixture is prepared comprising an unsubstituted or alkyl substituted nitrobenzene, a highly dissociated acid, a catalyst containing platinum and a divalent sulfur compound in which sulfur is bonded to two other moieties, the sulfur compound being present in a proportion of from about 0.1 to about 100 moles per gram-atom of platinum. The mixture comprises an organic phase containing the substrate and an aqueous phase containing the acid. Hydrogen is introduced into the mixture at a pressure of 0-50 psig while the mixture is agitated at a temperature of 70-100 DEG C, thereby causing the substrate to be reduced to phenylhydroxylamine or an alkyl substituted phenylhydroxylamine. The hydroxylamine is absorbed into the aqueous phase and therein rearranged to the substituted or unsubstituted p-aminophenol, which is recovered from the aqueous phase.