EPARATION AND PURIFICATION OF 1-BUTYLMETHYLPHENOL ISOMER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for efficiently separating 2-t-butyl-4methylphenol (4M2B) and 2-t-butyl-5-methylphenol (3M6B) from a tbutylcresol mixture consisting of 4M2B, 3M6B, low-boiling compounds having lower boiling points than 4M2B and high-boiling compounds having higher boiling points than 3M6B, which are derived and obtained from m,p-mixed cresols, at a low cost on an industrial scale. SOLUTION: This separation and purification method consists of at least three times of the repetitions of distillation process for separating lower boiling components from higher boiling components in a method for separating and purifying 2-t-butyl-4-methylphenol (4M2B) and 2-t-butyl-5-methylphenol (3M6B) from a t-butylcresol mixture consisting of 4M2B, 3M6B, low-boiling compounds having lower boiling points than 4M2B and high-boiling compounds having higher boiling points than 3M6B.