Synthesis of ortho phthaloyl chloride using triphosgene by response surface methodology

A simple approach for the synthesis of Ortho Phthaloyl Chloride(OPC) was studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the synthesis conditions of OPC. A 4-factor central composite design (CCD) was used for experimental design and analysis to obtain the optimal processing parameters, such as amount of triphosgene(BTC), amount of catalyst, reaction temperature and time. The 3-D response surface and the contour plots derived from the mathematical models were applied to determine the optimal conditions. The optimum reaction conditions were as follows: amount of BTC 62 g, amount of cat. 3.3 g, reaction temperature 75 C, reaction time 5 h. Under these conditions, The yield of OPC was 96.61%. Comparison of predicted and experimental values revealed good correspondence, implying that empirical model could be used to adequately describe the relationship between the factors and response in OPC synthesis process.