Kinetics and mechanism of the alkali‐catalysed condensations of di‐ and tri‐ methylol phenols by themselves and with phenol

The kinetics of the alkali‐catalysed condensations of 2.4‐ and 2.6‐dimethylol phenol and 2.4.6‐trimethylol phenol by themselves and with phenol has been studied under various experimental conditions. The observed higher rates of self‐condensation of the methylol phenols have been explained on the basis of the relative reactivities of ortho and para methylol groups and the reactivities of the free nuclear positions in methylol phenols and phenol. A mechanism of the condensation reactions is also proposed.