Product

Cumene, also known as isopropylbenzene (C₉H₁₂), is an aromatic hydrocarbon characterized by a benzene ring bonded to an isopropyl group. It is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid with an aromatic odor and a boiling point of approximately 152 °C.

Industrially, cumene is produced by Friedel–Crafts alkylation of benzene with propylene, traditionally using solid phosphoric acid or, more recently, zeolite catalysts to achieve high conversion and selectivity. Nearly all commercially produced cumene is immediately converted on-site to cumene hydroperoxide, the key intermediate in the cumene process, which yields phenol and acetone via the Hock rearrangement. Beyond its central role in phenol and acetone manufacture, cumene is also employed as a solvent and thinner in paints and coatings, as a high-octane fuel additive, and as an intermediate in the production of surfactants and propylene oxide.