Synthesis of Trimethylhydroquinone fromp-Xylene

Abstract The synthesis of trimethylhydroquinone from p-xylene was carried out via two routes; one includes the formylation of p-xylene, followed by nitration, and the other, the chloromethylation of nitro-p-xylene. The oxidation of the trimethylanilines, VI and IX, prepared from 2,5-dimethyl-6-nitrobenzaldehyde and 2,5-dimethyl-3-chloromethylnitrobenzene and their subsequent reduction gave trimethylhydroquinone (TMH) in appreciable yields.