CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR PRODUCING DL ALPHA TOCOPHEROL

A continuous process for the production of dl-alpha-tocopherols (I) by condensing trimethhydroquinone (II) with a reactant (III) selected from phytol, isophytol and phytadiene in the presence of an acid condensation catalyst, in which II, III and the acid catalyst are progressively and simultaneously introduced into a heated packed column, the reaction mixture being continuously flowed in liquid form through the column, and crude I being progressively withdrawn from the opposite end of the column. Process has short reaction time and gives high yields of a crude product which is more easily purified than the product of prior art processes.