The application provides a method for preparing 2-hydroxy-1,4-
naphthoquinone, which comprises the following steps: S1: dispersing 2-naphthol, a
phase transfer catalyst and a base in water to obtain a 2-naphthol alkali solution; S2: adding a
hypochlorite aqueous solution to the 2-naphthol alkali solution at 5-30 DEG C, and then increasing the temperature to 50-60 DEG C to react, so that 2-naphthol is oxidized to an intermediate
isomerization and rearrangement to generate 2-hydroxy-1,4-
naphthoquinone salt, and a 2-hydroxy-1,4-
naphthoquinone salt solution is obtained; S3: adjusting the pH of the 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone
salt solution, so that the 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone salt is converted into 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone and precipitated, and a 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone crude product is obtained. The method uses 2-
naphthol as a
raw material, and high-purity and high-yield 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone is obtained, while the safety hazards and environmental burdens caused by the use of a large amount of
peroxide oxidants and
metal catalysts are avoided, the process flow is simplified, and the method is more suitable for industrialization.